Meerut / Khatauli: The attack on a village pastor in Meerut’s Sardhana subdivision and his subsequent arrest has created tension in the region.On Monday, Dipender Prakash, the village pastor, was allegedly beaten up by Bajrang Dal activists for “converting” some local families. He was dragged to the nearest police station, where he was taken into custody under CrPC section 151(arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences). Prakash was caught by right wing activists while he was in the process of getting affidavits of 18 individuals notarized.These 18 individuals belong to different areas in the region and they regularly visit church to pray. Their affidavits contain an undertaking that they are not forced to visit church and that they do that out of their free will.On Tuesday, members of Bajrang Dal held a panchayat in Sardhana to highlight the “nefarious designs of evangelists”. Speaking to TOI, Sardhana-based Bajrang Dal leader and the petitioner in the police complaint, Milan Som, said, “We won’t allow these families to convert to a foreign religion and will visit them individually.”Meanwhile, the 18 people whose affidavits were being notarized say that they are unnecessarily being hounded by right wing groups. “I have seen miracles and so have started believing in Christ. It’s my personal choice. Why are they hounding me? I should be allowed to live in peace,” said Rajat Arora, who is being pressured by all corners to not convert.Similarly, Sanjeev Kumar, who drives an e-ricksaw in Jaura village, Muzaffarnagar, said, “I lost five children soon after their birth. Then one day I came to Khatauli-based Epiphany Church after which things began to change for me. Today, I have three children and all of them are healthy. They (right wing) should not force me to act against my will.”On Wednesday, the court of sub-divisional magistrate deferred the hearing on Prakash’s bail. According to the pastor’s counsel, Ravinder Kumar, “Even though Prakash was booked for a non-cognizable offence, the court postponed the bail owing to the volatile atmosphere in the region.”Reverend Nirmal Jacob, the pastor in-charge of the Epiphany Church in Khatauli to which Prakash is attached, said, “No one is converting residents. Just come and visit the church and see for yourself. We cannot shut our doors to someone who is needy and we do not do anything more than praying for that person in distress. If the visitor develops faith after seeing positive results of prayers, that’s not called conversion. Moving from one religion to another is a matter of personal choice and the law of the land allows that.”

Stay updated with all the Meerut Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.