Kerala couple arrested for religious conversion of tribal people in Kodagu

MADIKERI: A couple has been arrested for alleged religious conversion of tribal people in Kodagu. The incident has been reported at Kutta. Kuriachhan and Selvi from Mananthavady in Kerala are the arrested accused. The couple has been taken into judicial custody after being booked.

On Tuesday evening, the accused couple arrived from Kerala to the tribal settlement at Kutta. They visited the house of tribal Paniyaravara Muttha and his family. It is alleged that the couple tried to convince the family to convert to Christianity. A few members of Hindu organisations, who were on a vigil after a few alleged religious conversions in the settlement earlier, alerted the Kutta police. The police arrived at the scene and took the two into custody.

Police sources confirmed that the accused have been booked under Section 295 A, which is the existing law against forcible conversions. “The gazette notification of the recently passed anti-conversion law has not reached us yet. That is the reason the accused have been booked under the old section. However, when we are filing the chargesheet, we will apply the newly passed anti-conversion law,” confirmed the police.