Bengaluru: Tension prevailed in a colony in Belagavi district bordering Maharashtra after right-wing Hindutva activists belonging to Sri Ram Sene reportedly locked up pastors in a church alleging that they were trying to mass convert people to their religion.
Before the police reached the spot, many of those present in the building managed to flee. The angry protesters locked the remaining people, including a few pastors, in a room, and they were allowed to leave only after the police arrived.
The protesters claimed that nearly 200 people, including women and children from rural backgrounds, were being lodged in a building on the pretext of mass prayers for the purpose of religious conversion. However, the police said that the Sunday prayers were a routine occurrence and there was no conversion happening in the church.
As the situation was going out of control, the police had to intervene. About 20 policemen have been posted near the building as a precautionary measure.
Sri Ram Sene activists claimed that they had information that religious conversions take place in the building every Sunday on the pretext of mass prayers.
According to a media report, a Hindu man who was present in the hall at the time of the prayer filed a complaint alleging conversion.
Belagavi Police Commissioner K Thiyagarajan told the media that an FIR has been registered against the pastor who was conducting the prayers. However, details of the FIR are yet to be made public.
It is not clear whether any action has been taken against the alleged Sri Ram Sene members.
