Lucknow: The probe into the alleged religious conversions of Dalits and the poor in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district has taken a new turn with the police issuing notices to a British-era missionary hospital, an NGO and the Evangelical Church of India.
The notices were issued to the chairman and a clerk of the Broadwell Christian Hospital which has been functioning since 1909, staff of the NGO World Vision International (WVI)’s Fatehpur office and the bishop of Evangelical Church of India, Prayagraj.
This is the second notice to the Broadwell hospital as a notice was issued in December to its officials under Section 91 of CrPC (summons to produce documents or other things) to join the investigation and share documents.
Last week, the police took similar action against the chancellor, the vice-chancellor and an administration official of the Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) — a prominent Christian institution in Prayagraj — and senior pastor Paul Sigamony of Allahabad Bible Seminary under which the Evangelical Church of India, Fatehpur functions.
ThePrint had reported how Maundy Thursday prayers were disrupted after the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) workers barged into a church in Fatehpur’s Hariharganj area. The VHP accused the gatherers of indulging in conversions of 90 Hindus.
Three police stations in Fatehpur have filed at least seven FIRs and made scores of arrests since the beginning of 2022. In each instance, the police action came on complaints from VHP and Bajrang Dal that Christian groups or individuals were trying to convert Hindus through allurements, trickery, and coercion among others.
Between 15 April and 20 November last year, police arrested 41 people linked with the Hariharganj church, which is alleged to have links with the global Christian charity WVI.
Of the 56 people booked by the police, 36 got anticipatory bail while 15 remain in jail while three are absconding, the police said. Lawyer Dileep Chandra Trivedi, who argued the bail applications of several accused, said that two more bail applications are soon going to come up before the Allahabad High Court.
Also Read: ‘Miracles’, caste & now, crackdowns: The inside story of Christian ‘conversions’ in UP’s Fatehpur
Goats, cycles distributed as allurements, claim cops
Kotwali police station SHO Amit Kumar Mishra, investigating officer in the Hariharganj case, said notices were issued to Broadwell chairman Dr Samuel Mathew and clerk Parminder Singh on 4 January while reminder notices pasted on the walls of WVI office and the Evangelical Church of India.
Mathew and Singh were issued notices under Section 41 of the CrPC (arrest without warrant on recovery of evidence against a person for non-appearance).
“The hospital has a license for treatment of patients and administering vaccines, not for distributing goats, cycles and kirana (grocery) items. Hospital officials admitted that they gave these items to 16 people in different villages of Fatehpur. We have taken a list from them in writing. They have people associated with their mission working in every block, and most of them are Dalits and the poor,” he told ThePrint.
The list accessed by ThePrint, mentions the names of 16 people from different villages of Fatehpur including Asalpur, Hariyapur, Manipur, Dhundera, Jindapur, Dudua Colony, Sangaon and Brahman Tara. While nine were given petti-shop items, two persons were given a goat each and one got mobile accessories. Four got mobile repair tools, ‘repairing tool’, a cart and a kiosk respectively.
Mishra said WVI was already a “suspect” as none from its management appeared before the police so far despite notices.
“The manager of Fatehpur office is on the run. They are behind several conversions in 31 villages. There are seven persons in Fatehpur office, and notice was issued to them again,” he claimed, adding that their names will be added in the FIR if they remain absconding.
But the Broadwell management said that the help extended to the beneficiaries is part of its ‘income generation programme’ under charitable work.
Dr Mathew told ThePrint over the phone that the distribution of the items to the villagers was a part of the community income generation plan carried out with the knowledge of the local SDM and the gram pradhan.
“They (police) have interpreted this as an allurement for conversions, which is a completely wrong interpretation. Under the programme, a pair of goats is given to the poor villagers for earning livelihood. Cycles are given so that they can open small shops,” he said.
Stating that he is in Dehradun and unable to come, Dr Mathew claimed the police were informed about it. He alleged that the police arrived at the hospital without a search warrant and took away hard discs of the computers.
Hospital medical superintendent Dr A. Jesudoss also told ThePrint that the help was extended one-and-half-year ago for which the management got a certificate of appreciation from the Hariapur gram pradhan.
Notices to WVI, pastor
The Fatehpur police have also pasted reminder notices on the wall of WVI’s Fatehpur office.
“Seven persons associated with it are absconding and are not appearing despite being issued notices. They are already suspects in the conversions in at least 31 villages of Fatehpur. Most converts are Dalits and the poor,” Mishra told ThePrint.
Similar notices were pasted on the wall of the Evangelical Church of India in Fatehpur, days after notices were issued to the church seeking details of society, membership, among others.
The church’s legal officer Edwin John Wesley said Paul Sigamony, the bishop of the church, received a notice under Section of CrPC 41, days after a notice was issued seeking the details of the over 25-year-old church.
“A notice was issued earlier seeking details of the society, bank account of local church, and membership. We had responded saying that we don’t have membership details as the church is open to all. Rev Paul Sigamony, bishop for the Allahabad diocese, has got a notice under Section 41 of CrPC asking to appear before police to give his statement,” he told ThePrint.
“Police were informed that he is out of town as his brother has died and he is occupied in the funeral. He will join the probe after completion of the rites. We are cooperating… All those named in the FIR are framed.”
The FIR was lodged by a VHP leader even as the UP anti-conversion law states that the competent person to file a complaint is any aggrieved person, his/her brother or any other person related to him by blood, marriage or adoption, the legal officer said.
‘Funding of Yeshu Darbar Trust being probed’
Of the three SHUATS officials issued notices to appear before police last week, chancellor Jetti A. Oliver and vice-chancellor Bishop Rajendra B. Lal were yet to do so. Administration official Vinod B. Lal recorded his statement on December 29.
“Oliver has informed us that he is sick and will give a statement later. Lal is yet to appear. We have found that a bank account of the Yeshu Darbar Trust run by Lal was closed by the MHA in 2016-17. We are investigating what they did with the money received in this account. They (Oliver and Lal ) have several organisations along with Yeshu Darbar,” Mishra said, adding the trust was directly linked to a church in Fatehpur’s Deviganj.
ThePrint sent an email to Oliver and Lal regarding the developments, but no response was received till the time of publication. This report will be updated when their statement is received
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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