Over 100 people, accompanied by police, barged into a Christian family dinner gathering at a Jamshedpur housing society, alleging that religious conversion was taking place. However, police later said they found no evidence of conversion.
The incident took place on July 26, in an area of Jamshedpur that comes under the Golmuri police station, when members of the Christian community were having dinner to mark the end of a 21-day fasting prayer. Some residents of the housing society where the dinner was being held raised concerns over what they claimed were suspicious gatherings in two flats, where around 50 people were present.
Jitu Lima, a pastor from the local church in Govindpur, told The Indian Express that 40-50 individuals, mostly relatives and acquaintances of church members from other states, were staying in two flats at CF Flats during the fasting prayer period observed by their fellowship.
“No prayer meeting or religious activity was taking place at the time. The flats were being used only for lodging, and everyone had gathered for dinner as it was the concluding day. From small children to the elderly, everyone was present,” he said.
“Suddenly, a mob, along with police personnel, barged into the flats and began questioning the gathering. After about three hours of inquiry, they took six people to the police station,” Lima said.
A church member, speaking on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the group was harassed by the mob and that some were beaten after being taken to the Golmuri police station.
He said the people barged into the room where the dinner gathering was taking place at around 9 pm, and that police then locked the room, instructing everyone not to leave. “There were more than 100 people (in the group that barged in). Some police personnel were in plainclothes, so it was hard to tell who was police and who was part of the mob,” he said.
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“For about three hours, we were confined to the room. At around 12.30 am, six of us, including me, were taken to the station. There, some of us were slapped and beaten,” he claimed. He alleged that a senior police officer beat them and asked them why they were “converting people”.
Golmuri Station House Officer (SHO) Rajendra Kumar said he was “not aware” of anyone being assaulted.
“I am not aware of that. I offered them water and treated them respectfully. It is possible that when I stepped out, someone from the society may have assaulted them,” Kumar said.
He said police went to the housing society that night after getting a verbal complaint from some residents about a gathering of around 50 people from states like Odisha and Bengal.
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“We visited the site but did not find any immediate evidence of wrongdoing. No written complaint was filed either,” the SHO said.
“We made a station diary entry, which is a preliminary step before filing an FIR. Five-six individuals were brought in for questioning. We’re investigating the nature of the gathering, the booking of the premises, and under whose name it was done. So far, nothing conclusive has emerged,” he said.
DSP Sunil Chaudhary said the matter was registered at the police station and was being looked into by the officer in charge.
Ajit Tirkey, vice president of the All India Christian Minority Front and a minority rights activist, submitted a complaint to the Deputy Commissioner on Wednesday, alleging that oppression of Christians is on the rise under the guise of false conversion charges.
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“These incidents are a reaction to the Chief Minister’s decision to rename the Atal Mohalla Clinic Scheme after Mother Teresa. There was no evidence of conversion in this case, yet no action has been taken against the attackers or the police,” he said.
Jamshedpur Deputy Commissioner Karn Satyarthi told The Indian Express that police had submitted a report related to two recent incidents in Golmuri and Bhuyadi involving alleged religious conversion.
“In the Golmuri case, police responded immediately and found around 100-150 people from one group and about 50 from another. Some members of the Christian community were taken to the station for their safety, not because they were accused of anything,” Satyarthi said.
He also said that the preliminary police inquiry found no evidence of forced conversion. “Only two or three non-Christian individuals were present, and they were participating voluntarily in the prayers. The majority were Christians. The report does not suggest any coercion,” he said.
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Asked about the allegation of physical assault at the police station, the DC said, “If that happened, it is wrong. There is a clear difference between how criminals and ordinary citizens should be treated. We will take cognisance and follow up with the police administration.”
