Bengaluru: A Christian prayer meeting was cancelled in the country's IT capital Bengaluru on Saturday after complaints were lodged that this could facilitate forced conversions in the city which was to host two American preachers for this event.
The cancellation came just about 12 hours before the prayer meeting was to be held. Nearly 1,000 people were expected to attend the meetings spread over Saturday and Sunday. It was cancelled in the wake of protests lodged by Hindutva groups like the Bajrang Dal. A similar prayer meeting was cancelled in Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh, after the Hindu Yuva Vahini, founded by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleged forced conversions (allegations that were later proven wrong) in the meeting that saw barely 150 people participating.Also Read: UP Cops Halt Church Prayer After Yogi's Outfit Alleges Religious Conversion
In Bengaluru, the first complaint was filed on Friday afternoon by one Girish Bhardwaj, who wrote to the Foreigners' Regional Registration Office — a police wing that tracks foreigners visiting Karnataka — that two American evangelists were in India for “religious conversion”, in violation of their visa norms.
That the programme was hastily cancelled was evident when News18 spoke to one of the organisers. "We have always held retreats and services at this church. This event, too, was only for our church parishioners. We don't know why questions are being raised about permission. We are not converting anyone, only Christians are attending this," said a puzzled prayer coordinator.
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