Daijiworld Media Network - Beltangady (SP)

Beltangady, Sep 11: The local policemen have arrested another person on Wednesday September 10, on charges of indulging in religious conversion.

It is alleged that the arrested person Ramachandra, an employee in the local electronic shop, got converted into Christianity and changed his name to 'Sebastian'. A local Hindu organization has alleged that he was to go to Kottayam in Kerala along with Sunita D'Souza, Lokesh and Jayashree who were taken into custody by the policemen from Mangalore a few days earlier. It was said that they were going there for embracing a new religion.

Ramachandra hails from Kundapur and was working in an aluminum fabricating concern till last year. He left that job because of some dispute over payments and joined the electronics shop. The Hindu organization says that he underwent religious conversion and changed his name accordingly.

The local people had earlier arrested a person named Kishore Paul on similar charges. It is said, that the members of the Hindu organization, getting scent of the plans of Ramachandra to get converted, tracked him but he escaped at Guruvayankere. As soon as he re-appeared in the town on Wednesday, the police were reportedly alerted.  In the meanwhile, it is rumoured that the son of a local businessman, who is involved in this activity, has gone underground.

However, Ramachandra informed the police that he continues to be in the Hindu religion and will continue to be so. “I was a drunkard in the past, but could kick the addiction due to the influence of prayers as per Christian faith. Even now I attend the prayers. It is true that I had met Jayashree and others, but I was not among those scheduled to go to Kottayam," he has explained.