Pakur Police sets up SIT to probe reports of conversion

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted by the Pakur district police to probe reports of alleged conversion through allurement, a senior police officer Thursday said.

The SIT was formed on the directive of the state government on the basis of a report of conversion through "allurement or in the garb of social services" in tribal-dominated Santhal Paragana region including Pakur district, Superintendent of Police, Shailendra Prasad Barnwal, said.

He said the SIT was set up on Wednesday to look into the matter. It would be headed by the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Pakur.

The SIT would have all Inspector rank officers and officer-in-charge of various police stations of the district, he said.

Barnwal said SIT will identify the forces allegedly engaged in conversion after consulting with all police station officers-in-charge of the district and common people.

"We will initiate action against the identified persons or organisations as per provisions, if found guilty during the probe," the police officer said.

Recently, the intelligence agencies had stumbled upon some audio clip, in which two persons "were in conversion to target poor Santhal and primitive Pahariya tribe people for conversion by offering them money, cattle etc," the SP said.

The district administration of Pakur was alerted after the audio clip was brought to the notice of the government.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand state unit vice-president of Hindu Jagran Manch and Janjati Suraksha Manch National Co-cordinator, Dr Rajkishore Hansdah demanded immediate action to check conversion or they would be forced to launch an agitation against it.