8 people have been booked for trying to convert Vanvasis to Christianity in Karnataka. They were traveling to a mass prayer meeting when police arrested them. Their source of funds is being investigated and their conversion activities are looked into.
Sri Ram Sene had come to know about conversion attempts in Kanakapura, Karnataka. District President Nagarjun told media that they received information that a Christian couple pastor Barnabas and Baby were trying to convert Lambani community people in the area. When their activists visited the area they found out that the couple had brought people from nearby areas and were about to take them to Bengaluru for conversion.
Following this, Sri Ram Sene filed a complaint with the police and 8 people were booked and taken into custody. A suo motu complaint was filed FIR was registered under section 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) of the Indian Penal Code. Police informed that they weren’t booked under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act as no victim has come forward to complain so far.
Hindustan Times reported the Ramnagara SP as saying, “In Bengaluru, an event was organised for about 10,000 people from all over Karnataka after taking permission from all authorities in the city. They (accused) were apparently going there and we received the information regarding this”. He further said that they are looking into sources of funds for organising this event.
Sri Ram Sene has sought a thorough investigation into the matter and requested the police force to make sure to put a full stop to conversion activities in the region. The tallest statue of Jesus Christ in the world was to come up in Kapalibetta in Kanakapura Taluk. Congress leader DK Shiva Kumar had bought 10 acre government land for the purpose and donated it to a Christian trust. But due to Hindu opposition the project was dropped. The Karnataka High Court had also issued a stay on the construction work, ordering that no construction work should be done on the premises without its permission.
