Religious Conversion – Bareilly Police Arrest Man Over Alleged Conversion Meeting
Religious Conversion – Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district have arrested a man accused of organising a gathering where attendees were allegedly encouraged to change their religion through promises of various benefits. The action followed a complaint from a local resident, and investigators have registered a case under the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. Authorities say the investigation is continuing and further legal proceedings will depend on the evidence collected during the probe.
Police Register Case After Local Complaint
According to police officials, the case originated from a complaint submitted on July 9 by a resident identified as Ankit. The complaint alleged that a meeting was being conducted in the Meerganj area by a man named Prempal, where participants were allegedly being offered inducements to persuade them to convert their religion.
Acting on the information, officers from Meerganj police station launched an inquiry and registered a First Information Report under the relevant legal provisions. Following the preliminary investigation, Prempal was taken into custody and later sent to judicial custody as the investigation moved forward.
Officials Outline Allegations
Bareilly SP (South) Anshika Verma said police responded immediately after receiving information about the alleged gathering. She stated that investigators found sufficient grounds to register a case based on the complaint and subsequently arrested the accused.
Police maintain that the allegations relate to the use of incentives to influence religious conversion, an offence covered under the state’s anti-conversion legislation. Authorities have emphasised that the investigation remains active and that additional legal action will be taken if further evidence emerges.
Items Seized During the Investigation
During the arrest, investigators recovered several materials that they believe were connected to the meeting. According to police, these included six books, one notebook and a mobile phone.
The seized articles have been taken into custody as part of the investigation and are expected to be examined as evidence. Officials have not yet disclosed the contents of the recovered materials or whether additional individuals may be questioned in connection with the case.
Police have not released further details regarding the attendees of the gathering, and the inquiry is continuing to establish all aspects of the allegations.
Earlier Shamli Case Also Under Investigation
In a separate incident reported about a month earlier, police in Shamli arrested two people in connection with an alleged unlawful religious conversion case. The matter is being investigated independently and has no confirmed link to the Bareilly case.
Shamli Superintendent of Police Narendra Pratap Singh had alleged that the case was connected to an attempt to gain control of a family’s property. According to the officer, the investigation suggested that a young man from a financially well-established family had been influenced after coming into contact with a woman identified as Chandni.
Police alleged that the relationship was used to influence the man and that financial interests involving family assets, including pharmacy businesses, formed part of the motive being investigated. The officer also claimed that members of the woman’s family were involved in facilitating the alleged conversion.
SIT Conducting Detailed Probe
Following the arrests in the Shamli case, police constituted a Special Investigation Team to examine all aspects of the allegations. Officials have stated that the investigation is exploring every possible angle, including claims related to financial motives, property disputes and the circumstances surrounding the alleged conversion.
The accused in that case have been sent to jail, while investigators continue collecting evidence and recording statements. Police have reiterated that the findings of the SIT will determine the next course of legal action.
In both the Bareilly and Shamli cases, authorities have stressed that investigations remain ongoing and that further information will be released as the inquiries progress through the legal process.