Priest booked for converting boy to Christianity sans govt nod

A case was registered against an erstwhile pastor of a Catholic church in Anand district of Gujarat on Thursday for allegedly converting a Hindu boy to Christianity in 2012 without the permission of the district collector as mandated under the law, police said on Thursday.

The FIR was registered against the Christian priest, who is yet to be identified, with Petlad taluka police station under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003.

This law aims to stop conversions from one religion to another by use of force, allurement or fraudulent means.

Apart from the pastor of the Catholic church in Amod village of Petlad, police have also booked the minor boy's mother, Sudha Makwana, for allowing the conversion without due permission of the Collector.

"The FIR was registered by the police following a complaint given by a local social worker Dharmendra Rathod, who claimed that the boy was converted in the church in 2012, when he was eight years old," Deputy Superintendent of Police R L Solanki said.

"As per the FIR, Makwana lives with her minor son after getting divorce from her husband in 2008. Both of them were Hindus at the time of marriage and divorce. Although she has been visiting the church since long, it is not yet clear whether she has converted to Christianity," Solanki said.

"Rathod has alleged that the pastor converted the boy from Hinduism to Christianity in 2012 without acquiring necessary permissions from the collector as mandated under the law. The complainant said that the woman is also an accused for allowing such illegal conversion," Solanki said.

"We are yet to identify the pastor who was involved in the act back then," he added.