Prayer stopped; cops quiz pastor, find no evidence

GORAKHPUR : A mass prayer, which was being held at rented room in Jharna Tola locality by a Christian man on Sunday morning, was stopped midway allegedly by a group of officer bearers of BJP’s local army wing who accused the man of proselytising Hindus there and called police on the spot.

Pastor Rakesh of Gorakhpur was taken to Shahpur Chowki where he was quizzed by police who didn’t find any evidence of conversion.

“There were reports that some person of a certain community was indulged in the practice of conversion in the area. The charges, however, were found incorrect during the probe by police and it came to fore that rumour was spread over it,” circle officer Praveen Singh said.

So, he was allowed to go with stern warning against holding any prayer meet in the rented room again as he had no permission to assemble people, the cop said.

As per reports, the prayer was under way when around 10 am a group of five to six people, accompanied by some media Persons, reached there.

As the room was closed from inside, they knocked at it and got it opened. They alleged that the pastor was converting Hindus.

“I told them that people had gathered here out of their own wish and the prayer was being performed for them. They also enquired from those present who told them that they attended the prayer because they got peace by doing so. But the group refused to relent and tore off a poster of the Jesus Christ and took photograph of Aadhaar cards of attendees even as some media persons forcibly tried to put words in their mouth that they were being converted. They then called police which took us to police station and warned not to continue with the prayer,” said the pastor.

Captain (retd) Om Prakash Yadav, leader of the BJP’s Sainik Prakostha, who stopped the prayer, said, “Inside the room, a copy of the religious book the Bible was kept and the prayer was being performed for religious conversion. That’s why we informed the police.”