'Forcible conversion' case registered in UP

A man has filed a complaint with the police in Badaut area here alleging that he and his family were "forcibly converted" five years ago.
40-year-old Shishpal of Garhi Kangran village yesterday lodged a complaint against two persons - Abdul Hasan of Baghpat and Asghar of Shamli - for allegedly forcibly converting him and his three children five years ago, police station incharge Rajesh Verma said.
"Shishpal has alleged that he and his children were taken hostage and converted to Islam five years ago. They were given new names and later sent to separate madrasas," he said.
Verma said that a case has been registered and the police have started investigating all angles to verify the authenticity of the complaint.

"A probe is underway to ascertain as to why it took Shishpal five years to lodge the police complaint. Prima facie, it appears to be a suspicious case," he said.
According to the complaint, Shishpal and his 10-year-old daughter were sent to a madarasa in Khatauli after conversion while his sons -- aged 15 and 13 years -- were sent to separate madarasas in Ajmer and Panchkula respectively.
Shishpal has also alleged that he was forced to have a second marriage with a Muslim woman from Bihar, Verma said, adding that he claims to have somehow managed to escape the Khatauli madarasa along with his daughter and later rescued his two sons.