Pastor in Kerala 'threatened' over conversion charges, case registered

Wayanad: A case has been registered after a group of right-wing activists allegedly threatened a pastor over accusations of religious conversion. The police initiated the action on their own, without a formal complaint.

Sources said the incident is believed to have taken place a few months back, and the case was registered on Saturday based on a video circulated on social media platforms in this regard. In the purported footage aired by local media, a group of people can be seen confronting the pastor and issuing threats of physical harm.

According to the FIR registered by the Sultan Bathery police, the accused had tried to threaten a person alleging religious conversion, videographed the incident, and circulated it on social media platforms with the intention of destroying the peaceful atmosphere existing in the society.

The case was registered under various sections of the BNS including 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 351 (3) (criminal intimidation to cause death or grievous hurt) and 3 (5) (an offense committed by several people with a common intention).

An investigation is on to identify the accused persons seen in the video, sources added.

This comes a time when the state is witnessing an intense political row over the recent arrest and imprisonment of two Catholic nuns in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, alleging religious conversion and human trafficking.

An NIA court released them on bail on Saturday.