Christmas celebrations were disrupted in an Uttarakhand village when a group of 30 men carrying sticks attacked Purola village in Uttarakhand. The group alleged that forced conversations was being done in the village. Six people, including pastor Pastor Lazarus Cornelius, his wife Sushma Cornelius, were detained but later released by cops, who said the matter was amicably resolved.
The men, who had attacked the village, later claimed to be a part of a Hindu organisation. According to report in NDTV, the attack at the centre — Hope and Life — took place around noon. The area is located around 150 km from Dehradun.
Uttarakhand Gives Nod To Anti-Conversion Law
Uttarakhand Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Gurmit Singh has given his assent to the Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill, 2022, making unlawful conversions a cognizable and non-bailable offence punishable with a prison term of up to 10 years.
The bill was passed by the state assembly on November 30 this year and the governor gave his assent to the legislation earlier this week, official sources said here on Saturday.
With the governor’s sanction to the bill it has become an act paving the way for stricter punishment to offenders in such cases, they said.
Apart from a maximum imprisonment of up to ten years, persons indulging in forceful and unlawful conversion in Uttarakhand will now be slapped with a fine of at least Rs 50,000.
“No person shall convert, either directly or otherwise, any other person from one religion to another by use or practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means. No person shall abet, convince or conspire such conversion.”
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