Rampur: A pastor of a church has been arrested for allegedly converting people on Christmas Day in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, police said. The accused priest, Polo Messiah, has been booked under sections of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, it said. Sansar Singh, additional DCP, Rampur, said the case was registered on the basis of a complaint by a local resident from Sohna village in Rampur, Rajeev Yadav, against the accused, who will be sent to jail.
"Local police station got the information that a priest, Polo Messiah, a resident of civil lines, was gathering people from other communities and attempting to convert them," the DCP said. Singh said that police took prompt action and arrested the priest. "Accused will be sent to jail on December 27," DCP added.
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The complainant said the accused had assembled locals at one Vikram Singh's house in village Sohna of Patwai police station area, where he was trying to convert them. On December 21, in a similar case, Sitapur Police filed an FIR against two persons in a case of alleged forced religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh.
Police then said, that two Indians and four Brazil nationals had organised a programme in Shahbajpur village and allegedly lured people to change their religion. In October this year, Uttar Pradesh Police lodged an FIR against nine people for alleged forced conversions to Christianity in Meerut. (ANI)
