By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Udham Singh Nagar, 3 Jun: A fresh controversy over alleged religious conversion has surfaced in Gadarpur in district Udham Singh Nagar. Here, a young woman has accused a man of forcing and facilitating her conversion to Christianity through baptism and of solemnising marriage according to Christian customs. She has also alleged that following her forced conversion to Christianity, she was also subjected to repeated harassment. Acting on her complaint, the district-level committee constituted for monitoring and investigating cases related to religious conversion has launched a detailed inquiry, while police have registered an FIR and begun further probe.
The district administration has been carrying out sustained action against alleged illegal conversion activities under the directions of the District Magistrate. For this purpose, a district-level committee headed by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) has been constituted to monitor and investigate such complaints. As part of its earlier action, the committee had sealed a church allegedly being operated illegally in Ramjeevanpur village.
According to official information, on 11 May, 2026, an inquiry was conducted in the presence of the ADM into allegations that Pastor Surendra Sagar had constructed and was operating a church like Christian prayer centre on residential land in Budhia Colony, Sheila Majra, Ramjeevanpur. Following the investigation, proceedings were also launched to vest the land in question with the State Government in accordance with applicable legal provisions.
Meanwhile, a woman identified as Shweta had appeared before the SDM Gadarpur and submitted a complaint alleging that a man named Rohit had got her converted to Christianity by exerting undue pressure and had administered baptism in accordance with Christian religious practices. She had further alleged that she was subsequently married according to Christian customs and that after the marriage she was subjected to repeated harassment. The complainant also alleged that pressure was being exerted on her family members also to embrace Christianity.
Taking cognisance of the complaint, the district-level committee headed by the ADM visited Chakarpur village yesterday and conducted an on-site inquiry. During the investigation, the statement of the complainant was recorded and other relevant facts were examined. According to members of the committee, preliminary findings indicate that the woman was allegedly baptised and converted by pressurising her. In addition, allegations regarding pressure being exerted upon her and also her family members have also emerged during the inquiry. The officials, however, stated that a comprehensive investigation is being undertaken before any final conclusions are drawn.
The committee also inspected Ratnpura and Ramjeevanpur villages during the course of the inquiry. During interactions with the ocal residents, some villagers reportedly complained about religious gatherings being organised at various locations and alleged that pressure is being exerted on some local people for religious conversion. The statements and complaints received from the villagers have also been included in the ongoing investigation.
ADM Kaustubh Nand Mishra said that inspections carried out by SDM Richa Singh and other members of the committee had brought to light certain facts which, at first glance, appear to substantiate allegations. He said a detailed investigation report is being prepared and would be submitted to the District Magistrate for further action. Mishra also confirmed that legal proceedings are also being launched on the basis of the complaint submitted by the woman and that an FIR is also being registered accordingly.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Ganpati confirmed that an FIR has been registered in connection with the alleged conversion case in Gadarpur on the basis of the complaint received by the police. He said further action, including the arrest of the accused persons if warranted, would be taken after examination of the findings of the investigation and other evidence collected during the course of the inquiry.
The developments have once again brought the issue of alleged illegal religious conversion into focus in Udham Singh Nagar district in particular and in Uttarakhand in general, where the administration has been conducting inquiries into multiple complaints received from different areas.
