India News | Right-wing Activists Thrash NGO Members over Suspicion of Religious Conversion

Indore, Jul 24 (PTI) Right-wing activists on Thursday allegedly bashed up members of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Indore over suspicion of religious conversions, showed a video that surfaced in the public domain.

The NGO has denied the charge, stressing that it works across various sectors for rural uplift.

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No police complaint concerning the alleged assault has been received yet, an official said.

The alleged incident took place outside the Indore Press Club premises, where Howl Group founder Sourav Banerjee and other members of the NGO had arrived to address a press conference on the allegations. Two women associated with the NGO were also present.

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A group of individuals disrupted the press conference, creating a commotion. When he and others stepped out of the venue, they were assaulted by right-wing workers, who accused the NGO of indulging in religious conversion, showed a video.

“We have been working in Shukrawasa village of Dewas district for the past five years in areas such as education, healthcare, employment and legal aid. The suspicion around (religious) conversion is completely baseless,” Banerjee told reporters.

Banerjee said the right-wing activists assaulted the NGO members without any evidence. “Let them bring even a single person whom our NGO has converted,” he challenged.

He alleged that some “corrupt and anti-social elements” in Shukrawasa were spreading rumours against the organisation and obstructing their work for personal gain.

Meanwhile, local Bajrang Dal leader Avinash Kaushal, who was present at the site, alleged that the NGO was converting innocent Hindu villagers to Christians and had “brainwashed” some youths into distancing themselves from their families.

Ravindra Parashar, in charge of the Central Kotwali police station, said no formal complaint has been received from any party regarding the incident outside the Press Club premises.

(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)