Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Amid the buzz created across the country over forcible religious conversions by the film ‘The Kerala Story’, the Uttar Pradesh police has registered a total of 427 religious conversion-related cases between January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2023, in the state. In all 833 arrests have been made so far in this connection.
Notably, the Yogi Adityanath government brought an ordinance over the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act on November 27, 2020, in the wake of increasing incidents of forcible religious conversions and failed inter-religious relationships in the state.
The ordinance became an Act after the state governor’s assent to it in February 2021. Since then, the state government has been acting tough against those indulging in forcible religious conversion by luring the girls of one community by hiding their original identity.
As per the highly placed sources in the police department, in 185 cases, the victims confessed in court that they were forcibly converted. 65 cases of conversion pertained to minors so far.
So far, Bareilly zone has reported the highest number of 86 cases followed by 59 cases in Gorakhpur, 53 in Lucknow, 47 in Meerut, 46 in Prayagraj, and 39 in Varanasi. In terms of police commissioners, the state capital Lucknow tops the tally with 20 cases followed by 19 in Kanpur, 13 in Prayagraj, and 10 in Noida.
Furthermore, 299 were named in FIRs registered in Prayagraj, 235 in Bareilly, 153 in the Lucknow zone, 141 in Meerut, 135 in Varanasi, and 128 in Gorakhpur. Even the Prayagraj zone tops the list in terms of arrests as 163 accused were taken into custody.
Besides, 137 arrests have been made in Bareilly, 124 in Lucknow, 101 in Varanasi, 81 in Gorakhpur, 65 in Meerut, 37 in the Agra zone, and 21 in Kanpur so far.
As per the statistics shared by the state home department, 65 cases of conversion of minors have been registered, including 12 cases in the Meerut zone, 10 in Gorakhpur, nine in Bareilly, five in Agra, four cases each in Lucknow and Prayagraj, and two cases in Varanasi.
As the state police follow the cases registered under anti-conversion law with due diligence, the authorities ensure to dispose of the cases quickly.
As per the data, only 13 Of the 53 cases were in the Lucknow zone and 12 of 59 cases in the Gorakhpur zone. The investigation is going on in the remaining 9 cases in Prayagraj, 8 in Bareilly, 3 in Meerut and two cases in Varanasi.
“We initiate a speedy investigation into the case of religious conversions on a priority basis for their timely disposal,” says a senior police official.
The official figures reveal that from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2023, as many as 185 victims have confessed before the court that they were forcibly converted. 47 victims in Bareilly, 32 in Meerut, 13 in Prayagraj, 12 in Gorakhpur, 11 in Agra, 10 in Lucknow, and 10 in Varanasi zone have confessed the same.
As per the provisions of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act-2021, an accused of forcible religious conversions is liable to a jail term varying between one to five years, in addition to fines of up to Rs 15,000 for those convicted under it. The jail term goes up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 25,000 for conversions of women belonging to scheduled caste or scheduled tribe communities or who are minors.
LUCKNOW: Amid the buzz created across the country over forcible religious conversions by the film ‘The Kerala Story’, the Uttar Pradesh police has registered a total of 427 religious conversion-related cases between January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2023, in the state. In all 833 arrests have been made so far in this connection.
Notably, the Yogi Adityanath government brought an ordinance over the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act on November 27, 2020, in the wake of increasing incidents of forcible religious conversions and failed inter-religious relationships in the state.
The ordinance became an Act after the state governor’s assent to it in February 2021. Since then, the state government has been acting tough against those indulging in forcible religious conversion by luring the girls of one community by hiding their original identity.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
As per the highly placed sources in the police department, in 185 cases, the victims confessed in court that they were forcibly converted. 65 cases of conversion pertained to minors so far.
So far, Bareilly zone has reported the highest number of 86 cases followed by 59 cases in Gorakhpur, 53 in Lucknow, 47 in Meerut, 46 in Prayagraj, and 39 in Varanasi. In terms of police commissioners, the state capital Lucknow tops the tally with 20 cases followed by 19 in Kanpur, 13 in Prayagraj, and 10 in Noida.
Furthermore, 299 were named in FIRs registered in Prayagraj, 235 in Bareilly, 153 in the Lucknow zone, 141 in Meerut, 135 in Varanasi, and 128 in Gorakhpur. Even the Prayagraj zone tops the list in terms of arrests as 163 accused were taken into custody.
Besides, 137 arrests have been made in Bareilly, 124 in Lucknow, 101 in Varanasi, 81 in Gorakhpur, 65 in Meerut, 37 in the Agra zone, and 21 in Kanpur so far.
As per the statistics shared by the state home department, 65 cases of conversion of minors have been registered, including 12 cases in the Meerut zone, 10 in Gorakhpur, nine in Bareilly, five in Agra, four cases each in Lucknow and Prayagraj, and two cases in Varanasi.
As the state police follow the cases registered under anti-conversion law with due diligence, the authorities ensure to dispose of the cases quickly.
As per the data, only 13 Of the 53 cases were in the Lucknow zone and 12 of 59 cases in the Gorakhpur zone. The investigation is going on in the remaining 9 cases in Prayagraj, 8 in Bareilly, 3 in Meerut and two cases in Varanasi.
“We initiate a speedy investigation into the case of religious conversions on a priority basis for their timely disposal,” says a senior police official.
The official figures reveal that from January 1, 2021, to April 30, 2023, as many as 185 victims have confessed before the court that they were forcibly converted. 47 victims in Bareilly, 32 in Meerut, 13 in Prayagraj, 12 in Gorakhpur, 11 in Agra, 10 in Lucknow, and 10 in Varanasi zone have confessed the same.
As per the provisions of UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act-2021, an accused of forcible religious conversions is liable to a jail term varying between one to five years, in addition to fines of up to Rs 15,000 for those convicted under it. The jail term goes up to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs 25,000 for conversions of women belonging to scheduled caste or scheduled tribe communities or who are minors.
