Conversion case: Court declares 16 proclaimed offenders

The special investigation team (SIT) formed to probe the case has arrested 17 of the accused, a police officer said, adding that searches were later conducted to arrest 16 more.

The absconding accused are local residents and also residents of neighbouring Prayagraj district, a police officer said.

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Police in Fatehpur have obtained a court order declaring 16 people proclaimed offenders in an alleged illegal religious conversion case.

The case was lodged in April last year when Hindu right-wing organisations, including the Bajrang Dal, held a protest outside a church in the Hariharganj area of Fatehpur, alleging that people were being lured into conversion with false promises.

The case was lodged against 34 people that were named and 20 more that were unidentified. As many as 22 out of the 34 named in the case are employees of a hospital located near the church.

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The SIT formed to probe the case has arrested 17 of the accused, a police officer said, adding that searches were later conducted to arrest 16 more. “When they (the 16 others) remained absconding, we moved court and obtained the proclamation order,” said SIT chief Veer Singh.

The absconding accused are local residents and also residents of neighbouring Prayagraj district, a police officer said.

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