Right-Wing Groups Try To Enter Haryana Church, Cops Avert Attack

Members of several right-wing organisations tried to force their way into a church in Haryana's Rohtak on Thursday and were finally stopped by the police. The crowd alleged that the church was carrying out religious conversion. The BJP-ruled state is planning an anti-conversion law on the lines of the one in Uttar Pradesh.

The police said they received no complaints about conversion and the mob was contained after much commotion.

 "People come here out of devotion, just like any other place of worship... We never forced anyone to come here," the Associate Pastor of the Church told reporters.

He said the police visited them last evening and informed them about a possible demonstration and inspected the situation.  

"We received a complaint that something like this might be happening", but no complaint has been filed regarding conversion, Captain Manoj Kumar, the Deputy Commissioner of Rohtak told reporters.

The police, he said, has also conducted their investigation and "found nothing like that (religious conversions)". For around six years, people have been holding prayer meetings at the church on Sundays and Thursdays.

After receiving the complaint, policemen were deployed at the church, the officer said.   

"There was a gathering for which no permission had been obtained. So it was dispersed," Mr Kumar said, referring to the mob. The situation is normal now, he added.

Under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, unlawful religious conversions are prohibited and marriages are nullified if they are carried out with the sole purpose of religious conversion.

The law provides for imprisonment of up to 10 years and a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 under different categories.