‘It brings disgrace to our country’: Tharoor on arrest of Kerala couple in UP on conversion allegations

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday lashed out against the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the arrest of a couple in Ghaziabad for allegedly engaged in conversion of people into Christianity. “Why can’t the Govt tell these lumpens that when this kind of thing keeps happening, it brings disgrace to our country?: Christian pastor, wife, arrested in Ghaziabad after mob makes conversion allegations,” Tharoor tweeted.

Santhosh John Abraham and his wife Jiji, hailing from Kerala, were arrested from their residence in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh following a complaint by two residents of Kanawani village. According to some reports, the complainants are active workers of Hindutva group Bajrang Dal. They were arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act.

As per the FIR, they were luring poor people to convert for the last two-and-half decades and had also taken a big hall for prayers. ACP Indirapuram Swatantra Singh said the duo was enticing the deprived people of the society to adopt Christianity.

During interrogation, Abrahim told police that he works as a priest at Sharon Fellowship Church of Kerala and is living here since 1996. UP police said that the pastor had confessed to brainwashing the backward Hindus.

Over two dozen persons were contacted for conversion, Singh said, adding that they are also trying to find the exact amount the couple was paid in exchange for these conversions. Police said that the couple got financial help for the publicity of their religion, he said.

 

This article is published on https://www.news9live.com/state/kerala/it-brings-disgrace-to-our-country-says-shashi-tharoor-on-arrest-of-kerala-couple-in-up-on-conversion-allegations-au1332-2063669