A 47-year-old Dalit man was allegedly abused, beaten, and paraded with his head shaved by a group of residents, alleging that he tried to “coerce them into converting to Christianity”. The alleged incident took place on Friday at Behlopur Alai village in Fatehpur district. Shivbadan, who is out on bail in a two-year-old case of anti-conversion law, however, said the group of “upper caste men” assaulted him and his family members as he had started worshipping Jesus two years ago and they wanted to teach him a “lesson”. Based on his complaint, police have registered an FIR against three named persons — Rohit Dixit, Lavlesh Singh, and Somkaran — and other unidentified persons. Police have also registered a counter FIR against Shivbadan and three others based on a complaint filed by Rohit Dixit. “An FIR has been registered based on a complaint by Shivbadan, who alleged that fellow villagers mistreated and misbehaved with him. However, residents have accused Shivbadan of engaging in religious conversions to Christianity, and a case has been registered against him as well. The investigation is underway, and action will be taken based on the evidence collected,” Additional Superintendent of Police, Fatehpur, Vijay Shankar Mishra said. No one has been arrested so far. Speaking to The Indian Express, Shivbadan said: “On December 26, while I was standing at the village crossing to catch a taxi to the railway station, I noticed the accused, who are members of Bajrang Dal, passing comments and urging others nearby to teach me a lesson. The next morning as I returned home, a group of men led by Rohit Dixit, Lavlesh Singh, and Somkaran came to my house and attacked me. They assaulted me, my wife, and my children. The attackers then dragged me to a nearby temple, shaved my head, and beat me again.” “They paraded me around the village and took me to another temple. There, they forced me to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. They thrashed me again,” said Shivbadan. Shivbadan said that police registered a case based on false allegations against him. “The case against me has been filed to pressure me,” said Shivbadan, adding he no longer follows Christianity. In his complaint, Rohit Dixit alleged that on December 26, while he was at his shop in the village, Shivbadan, along with three associates—Ram Bahadur, Santosh, and Shivpal Paswan—and four unidentified persons, arrived in a car. Rohit alleged that they asked him to convert to Christianity, promising him a job at Mission Hospital and financial assistance from people attending prayers. “When I refused and raised objections, the accused abused and threatened him. Before leaving, they warned me that they would falsely implicate me in a false case,” Rohit Dixit said in the FIR. Based on Rohit Dixit’s complaint, an FIR was lodged against Shivbadan, Ram Bahadur, Santosh, Shivpal Paswan, and four unidentified persons. VHP’s prant vice-president Virendra Pandey, however, denied the involvement of any Bajrang Dal workers and said the issue was between village residents.
