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Journalism of Courage
Police arrest a Shiv Sainik and a member of a Christian group for trespassing on civic premises
Shiv Sainiks from Ulhasnagar allegedly attacked a group of Christians who had organized a feast in a municipal school on Sunday evening. The Sainiks suspected that the Christians were carrying out conversions and hence assaulted them injuring one person.
The police arrested a Shiv Sainik for assault and a member of the Christian group for trespassing into civic premises.
According to the police, a feast was organised in a municipal school number 24 in Ulhasnagar camp number one since Saturday. The organizers offered non-vegetarian preparations of mutton and chicken in the meals. The Shiv Sena members received information that a Christian group was enticing people to convert to Christianity by giving food in a municipal school.
8220;By the time we reached the school, most of the organisers had fled. Sainiks got hold of only one person and broke his tooth. We handed over the person to the police, for discretely carrying out religious conversions,8221; said Rajendra Choudhary, Sena pramukh of Ulhasnagar. He said Sena would staunchly oppose religious conversions in Ulhasnagar. However, Choudhary said that the Sainiks were not able to uncover any religious conversions being carried out by the Christian group.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jamnu Purswani said that there would not be any objection to organize a feast publicly. 8220;In this case, Christians discreetly organized a feast without seeking the required permission. In one of the rooms there was a picture of Jesus and we suspect it could be used as a prayer hall. The people who came to eat were persuaded to pray,8221; said Purswani.
Sunil Dhanwani, chairman of the education board, said that an inquiry has been initiated on how the school premises was let out for such a function without required permission. 8220;The school was shut for winter holidays and the keys were lying with the peon. We have issued a show cause notice on Monday to the school principal to identify the custodian of the school keys,8221; said Dhanwani
Assistant Commissioner of Police for Ulhasnagar, Shivlal Walvi, said that one Kishor Salve has been arrested for the assault of Mohan Thakur, an autorickshaw driver who was one of the persons to have organized the feast. Both the accused are out on bail. ACP Valvi said prima facie nothing has been brought to the notice of the police to indicate that religious conversions had occurred on the school premises.
