Gujarat police booked 'The Missionaries of Charity', an organisation founded by Mother Teresa, under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, 2003, for allegedly “hurting Hindu religious sentiments” and “luring towards Christianity young girls” in a Vadodara city. The organisation has rejected the charge reports Indian Express.
District Social Defence Officer Mayank Trivedi and the Chairman of the Child Welfare Committee of the district, visited the Home for Girls run by the Missionaries of Charity in Makarpura area on December 9.Then he lodged a compliant at Makarpura police station on Sunday.
In FIR he claimed that during his visit, he found that girls at the home were being “forced” to read Christian religious texts and participate in prayers of Christian faith, with the intention of “steering them into Christianity”. Based on his complaint FIR was registered by the Police against the organisation.
Police have initiated a probe on the basis of the complaint. The management of the Missionaries of Charity refused all the charges levied against them of any forceful conversion says report.
The FIR stated that “Between February 10, 2021, and December 9, 2021, the institution has been involved in activities to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus intentionally and with bitterness… 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,”
But while refusing all the charges spokesperson for the Missionaries of Charity told The Indian Express that, they are not involved in any religious conversion activity. These girls live with them and follow their practices because girls see them doing it whole day . They have not converted anyone or forced anyone to marry into Christian faith.
The Child Welfare Committee, in their complaint accused the organisation that they had forced a Hindu girl to marry into a Christian family as per Christian traditions. The girls living in the shelter home had been served non-vegetarian food despite being Hindus they added further, claim report.
Assistant Commissioner of Police SB Kumavat said the District Collector had issued instructions to book a case against the organisation after a committee probed the allegations made by Trivedi.
“The District Collector had formed a committee after the complaint from the Child Welfare Committee. A team of members of several departments probed the allegation, following which a complaint has been filed. Police will probe the allegations and gather evidence to see if the contentions are true,” Kumavat said.
