Missionary school MD, 8 others booked in UP on conversion charges

Some pamphlets and other documents were recovered from the house, the police claimed.

The FIR was lodged against nine persons by name, including that of Thomas Joseph, MD of St Xavier School, Badlapur, and Dinesh Maurya under Sections 3 and 5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.

The complainant in the case, Pramod Sharma, claimed to be the national president of an organisation named Hindu Gaurav Mahasabha. “Since the arrest under the Conversion Act has provision of sentencing below seven years, they were arrested on charges of breach of peace. Six of them have been sent to jail while others got bail,” said the Badlapur police station incharge.

The school MD is not among those arrested, he clarified.

The complainant alleged that he was getting information for the last few weeks that a group of people were trying to lure people into conversion by making false promises. These people were holding regular meetings in which innocent people are called to attend, he added. “On Sunday afternoon, I got information about a meeting at the village. When I confirmed that some people were trying to persuade innocent men and women for conversion by making them false promises, I informed the police,” Pramod Sharma claimed.

Muradpur Kotila village head Sunil Pal said, “I recently came to know that Dinesh Kumar Maurya adopted Christianity some time ago. People used to refer him as ‘father’. I was not aware that he used to hold meetings at his residence for conversion.”

When contacted, Thomas Joseph said, “These are all false allegations. I was not present at Dinesh Maurya’s house yesterday. After getting information about Sunday’s incident I went to the police station to see as why people were taken there. I told the police that those people had gone to Dinesh’s house to offer prayers. No conversion was taking place there.” He knew Maurya and had in the past attended prayer meetings at his residence, Joseph added.