A police officer said the accused minor boy’s father owns a cycle repair shop and was friends with the other family. No one has been arrested in the case but statements have been collected from both sides.
Team Clarion
BENGALURU — A minor boy and his father from Parashurampura in Chitradurga district have been booked under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act 2022, popularly known as the anti-conversion law, for allegedly converting his classmate to Islam.
Chitradurga district is about 235 km from the state capital Bengaluru.
The two were booked after the father of the victim, belonging to the Kuruba community, lodged a complaint on October 29. Both the boys are 17 years old.
According to the complainant, the victim’s father got suspicious about the behaviour of his son, a pre-university college student in Challakere taluk, after he stopped performing pooja and worshipping Hindu deities. The boy recently refused to participate in the Dussehra celebrations as well, the complaint further said, according to a report in The Indian Express on Friday.
“Upon checking his bag, I found photos of my son performing namaz as well as skull caps in it. When I inquired, I found that the minor and his father had taken my son to mosques in various towns of Chitradurga district and converted him to Islam without permission. Also, when I checked his bag, I got some written materials pertaining to Islam. When I checked his mobile phone, I found some conversations related to drugs and ganja,” the report quoted the father as saying in his complaint.
A police officer said the accused minor boy’s father owns a cycle repair shop and was friends with the other family. No one has been arrested in the case but statements have been collected from both sides, the officer added.
The case has been registered under the 2022 Act’s Section 5 (prohibition of conversion from one religion to another religion by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or by promise of marriage).
Chitradurga Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Kumar Meena told reporters, “We are collecting details both from the victim and accused as part of the investigation,” the newspaper said.
