In a fresh incident, a Christian prayer meet was canceled in Bengaluru on April 9 after a complaint was filed alleging it could facilitate forced conversions. Due to the protest lodged by Hindutva groups like the Bajrang Dal, the two-day prayer meet was canceled just 12 hours befor the meeting was to be held in the city.
The program — themed Power and Reality of the Kingdom — was to be held at a church in east Bengaluru. About 1000 people were expected to attend the event.
VHP activist Girish Bharadwaj on Friday wrote to Foreigners’ Regional Registration Office — (a police wing that tracks foreigners visiting Karnataka) alleging that two American evangelists have come to India for “religious conversion”.
Later on Friday, the convenor, of the Bajrang Dal Keshav Nayak, filed a police complaint stating that this meet was aimed at converting innocent Hindus. It was being held daringly in public, where cash would be offered to the converts. As such, it hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindus.
Nayak also asked that the organizers of the program should be arrested and suitable legal action must be taken.
Earlier, a prayer meeting was canceled in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh, after the Hindu Yuva Vahini, founded by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleged forced conversions in the meeting. However, the allegations were later proven wrong.
A senior police official said, “we will verify iIf there are allegations of visa violation. But if there are only Christians attending it, where is the issue of conversion? That too an event inside the premises of their own auditorium of a local church.”
