Jharkhand: Tensions erupt in village after man accused of forcible religious conversion

Tensions erupted in a village in Jharkhand’s Saraikela-Kharsawan district after a 32-year-old man was booked on allegations of forcible religious conversion, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.

The incident took place in Jhimri village in the district. The man was arrested soon after the FIR was filed. However, a mob on Saturday set his home on fire, threw stones at it and attacked police personnel who tried to stop them.

Superintendent of Police Mukesh Lunayat said that prompt action by local police officials ensured that the family of the accused man remained safe, The Indian Express reported. However, two police officers were injured in the violence and a police vehicle was also damaged.

Seven locals were arrested for the violence.

The man was booked based on a complaint that he had allegedly abducted a girl from the Kudmi community and forcibly converted her. The girl, who has since been located, was not a minor, unidentified officials told the newspaper, adding that she also denied the claims of forced conversion.

After the matter came to light, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Babu Lal Marandi claimed that it was a case of religious conversion and demanded that Chief Minister Hemant Soren take strict action.

Marandi, the leader of the Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, also shared a purported marriage certificate of the couple,...

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