MP: Christian priest among 3 held for 'forcible' conversion of

Image
Press Trust of India Satna
Last Updated : May 22 2016 | 9:57 PM IST
A Christian priest and his two women associates were arrested by police today after a man accused them of "forcibly converting" him and two others by offering them job and money.
"We have arrested them under section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC and (section) 3/4 of Religious Conversion Act," said Kotar police station In-charge, Mahendra Jagat.
The trio was produced before a local court which sent them to judicial custody after rejecting their bail applications.
They have been identified as A B Anthony, the priest attached to Aber Church under Kotar police station area, and his women assistants P Anthony and Prabha Anthony.
The complainant, Prashant Gupta stated the trio had invited him and his two associates-- Rambhan Adivasi and Hemraj Verma--to Aber Church where he was offered job and money.
"I was in touch with the priest A B Anthony for quite some time and he had offered me and my two friends job at the church and money. Later, he forced me to embrace Christianity," Gupta alleged.
Gupta said he got angry as the priest started "abusing" the country.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Backward Class Commission member, Laxmi Yadav said, "Such incidents are on the rise in the region and police should take tough stand in such issues".
Recently, police and Bajrang Dal activists had entered a church in Kogavan area here and stopped the wedding of a minor girl and a boy who had allegedly converted to Christianity four years ago.
Police had said that the couple did not inform them about their conversion which is mandatory under law.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: May 22 2016 | 9:57 PM IST

Next Story