K'taka: Complaint against pastors, among 15 persons, over religious conversion

Hubballi (K’taka): Tension prevailed in a locality here over alleged religious conversion with an agitated man from a marginalised community filing a complaint against 15 people including a few pastors and a history sheeter over the issue, police said.

An FIR has not been registered by the police following the complaint.

A large number of people from the marginalised Shikkaligar community along with members of pro-Hindu outfits gathered at the Old Hubballi police station on Tuesday night demanding action against Christian missionaries who were allegedly involved in converting people.

A Hindu outfit leader, who joined the protest, said the Shikkaligars are a miniscule and economically weak community.

According to police, the incident came to light following a quarrel between a couple. The husband alleged that his wife is forcing him to convert to Christianity and refusing to live with him.

When he couldn’t handle the pressure from his wife, he had brought the matter to the notice of community leaders, they said.

The members of Shikkaligar community held a protest at the police station demanding conversion bids to be stopped.

Complainant Sampath told reporters that the pastors had come to his in-laws’ house and asked them to attend prayers. He also alleged that the missionaries have been targeting his community to convert them into Christians.

Some other community members claimed the missionaries are taking the help of a local history-sheeter to force people to leave Hinduism and get converted to Christianity.