Haryana police thwart mob efforts to force into Church over religious conversion

Chandigarh: A crowd of several right-wing organisation activists tried to force their way into a church in Haryana's Rohtak district on Thursday, but the police thwarted their attempt, NDTV reports.

The gathered crowd accused the church of carrying out religious conversions. The incident happens while BJP ruled state is working on an anti-conversion law similar to one in Uttar Pradesh.

The police told reporters that they had not received any complaints about conversion, and they contained the mob at the church after commotions. Rohtak Police Commissioner, Captain Manoj Kumar, said that they conducted an investigation that if any religious conversion was going on but found nothing supporting such claims.

For nearly six years, the church held prayer meetings on Sundays and Thursdays. Police officers were deployed at the church after a complaint was received. Regarding the mob, the Commissioner said that there was no permission obtained for the gathering and police dispersed it. The situation is back normal, he added.

Meanwhile, the Associate Pastor of the Church told reporters that they have never forced anyone, and people go there out of devotion just like other places of worship. He said that police visited them on Thursday evening, informed a possible demonstration and inspected the situation.

Under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, unlawful religious conversions are prohibited, and marriages carried out with the sole purpose of religious conversion are invalid. The law awards imprisonment up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 under various categories.