Kutch village erupts after boy’s ‘forced’ conversion

Rapar taluka in Kutch district remained tense today after at least six shops belonging to the minority community were burnt down to protest ...

Rapar taluka in Kutch district remained tense today after at least six shops belonging to the minority community were burnt down to protest against conversion of a person to Islam.

Police detained 22 people in Adeshwar village, around 170 km from Bhuj, for burning down the shops.

Trouble started around 7 am when sarpanch Khimalal Barot and a dozen other villagers went to Bhimasar police station with a memorandum that a village boy had been forcibly converted. They demanded action against the culprits.

Deputy Superintendent D.L. Solanki said, the sarpanch, in his memorandum addressed to Kutch superintendent of police, stated that 17-year-old Kanhaiyalal Goswami had gone to Radhanpur in neighbouring Patan district about 3 months ago.

On his return recently, it was found that he had converted to Islam.

The sarpanch and the villagers alleged that the boy had been forcibly converted. After presenting the memorandum, the villagers declared a bandh.

Deputy SP Solanki said that the violence broke out soon after. ‘‘But there are no reports of injuries to anyone. The situation is under control,’’ Solanki said.