'Either change religion or leave': Hindu family receives threat in UP's Balrampur

Visual of the colony in UP's Balrampur where the incident took place. (Photo: India Today)

By Samarth Srivastava: A Hindu family, living in a Muslim-dominated area in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur, were allegedly threatened to convert their religion. Three women have been arrested in the case.

The victim, identified as Deepa Nishad, said in her complaint that her family was pressurised to convert their religion due to the presence of a Muslim-dominated population in the locality. She was asked to sell her house and leave if she failed to do so. She also allegedly received death threats for the same.

According to the FIR, complainant Deepa alleged that “neighbouring Muslim women spit on the temple built in her house and said that now your temple has become impure. Now you have become a Muslim."

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Police have started proceedings by registering a case against seven people, including three women. The woman has also released videos of women abusing and threatening her family.

Deepa's brother Tulsi Ram Nishad also alleged that he was being pressurised by the Muslim neighbours to withdraw the case. He said he was attacked two days ago while coming back home.

The accused, however, denied all the allegations leveled against them and said that “there was no such thing as religious conversion ever.”

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“I said those things in anger,” said the accused when she was asked about abuse in the video released by the victim. The family had no answer for spitting in the temple.

Police on Monday registered a case against seven people under other serious sections of the Uttar Pradesh Religion Change Prohibition Act-2021, including disturbing the peace and criminal intimidation.

According to the Prohibition of Religious Conversion Act-2021, there is a provision for strict punishment in the case of illegal religious conversion in Uttar Pradesh. Illegal conversion of women and scheduled caste-tribe people can lead to imprisonment of 2-10 years.

On the other hand, if a religious conversion is done collectively, then that person will be awarded with 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000. Similarly, if any organisation does this, then its recognition can be cancelled.