BHOPAL: Four persons, including a couple from Maharashtra and two others associated with a local church, have been arrested by police for using abusive language against another religion at a religious gathering in the tribal-dominated Betul district of Madhya Pradesh.
The four persons, identified as Vijay Jadhav (59) and his wife Ruth Bai (46) – both natives of Kothara village of Maharashtra’s Amravati district – and two others Dany Paul (21) and Saibu Ivne (50), both reportedly related to a local church in Betul were arrested by the cops of Bhainsdehi police station in Betul district for defaming the other religion at a religious gathering organized at Udama village on Saturday.
“We got information from one Raju on Saturday about Betul church people and some others organizing a religious gathering of people. The gathering organizers were praising their religion, but using objectionable language for the other religion. The cops reached the spot and seized from the spot religious literature, including some books, pamphlets and notebooks. The arrested foursome has been booked under Section 295A IPC and provisions of the SC/ST Act,” sub-divisional officer police (SDOP) Shivcharan Bohit said on Monday.
The police officer added that the primary probe suggests that people associated with local Church and Christian Missionary organizations of adjoining Maharashtra often come to the village and hold prayer meetings where they defame and abuse another religion and community, possibly with the intent of conversion.
Importantly, those arrested by the police from Udama village on Saturday created ruckus before their arrest at the prayer venue. A video of the incident showed the Christian couple from Maharashtra indulging in a war of words with local residents and cops at the spot. The couple alleged that instead of acting against them, the police should stop medically ill people from coming to prayers for healing.