India News | Pastor Arrested for 'religious Conversion' Under Guise of Faith Healing in UP's Akbarpur

Ayodhya (UP), Jul 22 (PTI) A pastor was on Tuesday arrested in Akbarpur town of Ambedkar Nagar district following allegations of religious conversion under the guise of faith healing, police said.

According to officials, pastor Pramod Kumar was booked under the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act after members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) lodged a complaint, alleging that Hindu men and women were being converted to Christianity at the Billiards Church India.

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The FIR states that more than 200 people had gathered at the church on Sunday for treatment.

During the event, they were reportedly made to offer prayers according to Christian traditions. The pastor is accused of urging the attendees to abandon their faith in traditional Hindu deities.

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Following the complaint, a police team reached the church premises where members of Hindu organisations raised concerns about alleged religious conversions, the police said.

After the registration of the case, the accused pastor, Pramod Kumar, was arrested and sent to jail, said Srinivas Pandey, Station House Officer (SHO), Kotwali, Akbarpur.

A detailed probe is on in the matter.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)