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Gujarat: FIR Filed Against Missionaries Of Charity On Conversion Of Girls
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Gujarat, 14 Dec 2021 10:20 AM GMT
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The FIR stated that the girls home was involved in activities that are meant to intentionally hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. The organisation has denied the allegations.
An FIR is lodged against the director of a children's home run by the missionaries of charity, alleging that the organisation attempted to convert girls to Christianity. The organisation, booked under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, rejected the allegations.
District Social Defence Officer Mayank Trivedi and the Chairman of the Child Welfare Committee visited the Home for Girls of the district in the Makarpura area of Vadodara on December 9. Following his visit, he filed the FIR stating,
"The girls inside the Home for Girls are lured into adopting Christianity by making them wear the cross around their neck and also placing the Bible on the table of the storeroom to girls, to compel them to read the Bible… It is an attempted crime to force religious conversion upon the girls".
The FIR also stated that the girls home was involved in activities that are meant to intentionally hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. Missionaries of Charity are booked under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, Sec 295 A of IPC for deliberate and malicious acts to outrage feelings of any class by insulting its religious beliefs and Sec 298 of IPC for deliberately uttering words to wound the religious sentiments of a person.
As reported by The Times Of India, a spokesperson for the Missionaries of Charity, Sister Rose Terrassa, denied all allegations of conversion, stating that the home only educates the kids.
"We are not involved in any religious conversion activity… We have 24 girls in the home. These girls live with us, and they follow our practice as they see us doing the same when we pray and live. We have not converted anyone or forced anyone to marry into Christian faith."
Gujarat Police Lodge FIR alleging conversion of 100 Hindu tribals
On November 15, 2021, four persons were arrested under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act, 2021 and Indian Penal Code for allegedly forcing the conversion of 100 'Hindu tribals' into Islam. The arrests were made in South Gujarat's Bharuch district; under Section 4 of the anti-conversion law and Sections 120 (B) (C) and 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code.
SB Kumavat, the assistant police commissioner of Vadodara, said, "Police will probe the allegations and gather evidence to see if the contentions are true".
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