Madhya Pradesh Man Who Said He was Illegally Converted, Is Part Of Bajrang Dal

Dharmendra Dohar, a man from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, has claimed he was illegally converted. Cases against priests have been filed after his allegations. Asked if he has changed his religion, he told reporters, "I can't speak on this... If I do, I will get embroiled in the issue... it will be said that I'm changing my statement".

All India | Reported by , Edited by | Updated: December 17, 2017 14:05 IST
Madhya Pradesh Man Who Said He was Illegally Converted, Is Part Of Bajrang Dal

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Dharmendra Dohar, a man from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, said he was paid Rs 5,000 for getting converted.

Bhopal:  Dharmendra Dohar, the man who alleged that he had been illegally converted by a group of Christians, has told reporters that he has been a member of the right wing group, the Bajrang Dal, for a year. The man, who in his complaint to police said he was paid Rs 5,000 for getting converted, however, was unwilling to elaborate or even repeat his claims.

Asked if he has really changed his religion, Dharmendra Dohar told reporters, "I can't speak on this... If I do, I will get embroiled in the issue... it will be said that I'm changing my statement".  The "group", he said, doesn't want "such people (Christians) to come in here".  

Following Dharmendra Dohar's complaint, 30 Christians and two priests were detained by the police in Satna, around 450 km from state capital Bhopal. The priests said they were roughed up by members of the Bajrang Dal inside the police station -- an allegation the group and the police have denied.

Asked who he was afraid of, the Bajrang Dal or the police, he said, "I'm concerned about my family. It is because of me they got in trouble... we were told not to allow these people (Christians) to come into our homes and mingle with us".
caroler

The carolers -- around 30 of them -- were picked up and questioned by the police.


Father M Rony, social work director of Satna diocese, told news agency Press Trust of India that some men had stormed the venue of a pre-Christmas celebration at Bhoomkar village, 15 km from the district headquarters, on Thursday evening. They had created a ruckus, alleging that religious conversion was going on there. The function, he said, was organised for children by the Syro-Malabar Church.

Later, the police came later and took 32 Catholic brothers and two priests to the police station for questioning. "When they reached the police station, they were beaten up by Bajrang Dal activists on the station campus. Hearing the news, four other priests rushed to the police station, but they were also thrashed and their car was set on fire," PTI quoted him as saying.

While the police have denied allegations of any assault on the Christians inside the police station, an 18-year-old has been arrested for the arson. Rajesh Hingankar, a senior police officer, said, "18-year-old Vikas Shukla was arrested on Saturday for allegedly torching the car". No case of assault has been filed yet.

"They (members of the Catholic group) may have been manhandled outside the police station premises," PTI quoted a police officer, Sub-inspector Mohinee Sharma of Civil Lines Police station, as saying. "If they come to us with a complaint that they were beaten up, we will surely book the accused," he added.

A case has been filed against a priest, George M, and five others following a complaint of forced conversions.