An FIR has been lodged under the state’s anti-conversion law against the organisers of a religious event held in a Kanpur school in Uttar Pradesh on June 24 where right-wing groups alleged money was distributed to induce people to convert.

The FIR was lodged with the Colonelganj police in Kanpur under Sections 3 and 5 (1) of Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021.

Though the FIR was lodged against unnamed people, the police questioned the people associated with the school and the event.

The complainant Narendra Parmar, who lives near the school, said he was told that an event was held at the Epiphany school in Civil Lines. He added that he found that apart from goods, an oil was given by organisers to attendees claiming that it would rid them of pain.

The organisers allegedly gave envelopes containing cash to the people who were allegedly asked to convert and told to attend the next event, which would be a ‘game-changer’ for them, he said.

“We were told that all our ailments will vanish and we will become rich at the next event,” Parmar said.

Parmar and the school both shared the video recordings and CCTV footage of the event.

Joint commissioner of police, law and order, Anand Prakash Tiwari said the FIR was lodged after examination of the video recordings and CCTV footage.

“The police initially acted on complaints for violating (IPC) Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and use of loudspeaker without any permission. It registered a case after examining the video footage and complaint for an FIR,” he said.

(The story has been published via a syndicated feed with a modified headline.)