Gujarat High Court rejects anticipatory bail plea of Maulvi in religious conversion case

Bharuch: The Gujarat High Court has rejected an anticipatory bail plea filed by a maulvi in the case of religious conversion of 100 tribal people in Kakariya village in Bharuch.

Abdul Vahab Varyava (age 36), a resident of Palsana in Surat district, had approached the high court after the district court rejected his anticipatory bail. The Amod Police has filed an offence under Gujarat Freedom of Religion Bill section 4 and IPC section 120(b), 153 (B) (c), and 506(2).

The complaint was made by Praveen Vasava of Kakariya village in Amod taluka on 15th November. He alleged that he was converted to Islam in 2018 by several accused and was given a new name ‘Salman Vasant Patel’. The accused local persons Abdul Aziz Patel, Yusuf Jivan Patel, Ayub Barkat Patel, and Ibrahim Punabhai Patel among others allegedly forcibly converted 100 people of 35 tribal Hindu families.

The accused people lured the tribals with money and also built houses for them in some cases to convert them into Islam. The accused had also threatened them of dire consequences if they converted back to Hindu religion. The FIR was filed against 9 persons who allegedly mobilised funds for the religious conversion and lured tribals with money and built houses for them. DeshGujarat