Children's Home in Vadodara Booked for Attempt To 'Force Religious Conversion'

A children's home run by the Missionaries of Charity was on Sunday, 12 December, booked for forcibly converting the young residents of the institute to Christianity.

(Photo: The Quint)

A children's home run by the Missionaries of Charity was on Sunday, 12 December, booked over allegations of forcibly converting the young residents of the institute to Christianity.

The First Information Report (FIR), which has been filed under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, has been quoted as stating the following by The Indian Express:

"The girls inside the Home for Girls are being lured to adopt Christianity by making them wear the cross around their neck and also placing the Bible on the table of the storeroom used by the girls, in order to compel them to read the Bible… It is an attempted crime to force religious conversion upon the girls.”

The complaint has been filed by District Social Defence Officer Mayank Trivedi, as per news agency PTI. Trivedi, along with the chairperson of the child welfare committee of the district, had visited shelter in Makarpura area on 9 December.

Trivedi, in his complaint, stated that the girls were being forced to read Christian texts and participate in the religion's prayers.

The management of the institute, that is run by the Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity, has denied the conversion charges.

A probe has been launched into the matter by the police.

The Quint also reached out to Missionaries of Charity, Kolkata, who refused to comment on the incident.

(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)