Assault on clergies in Jabalpur: FIR lodged after uproar in LS; police pursue accused

Bhopal, April 4 (IANS) The Jabalpur Police in Madhya Pradesh have aggressively launched a hunt for the accused who were involved in a perpetrated assault on ecclesiastical dignitaries on March 31 in the precincts of the Ranjhi police station.

The incident, according to a senior police officer, had already prompting the authorities to lodge a formal complaint against “three malefactors".

These individuals, whose identities have been recognised through a viral video, are currently the subjects of an active pursuit by the police.

The incident, wherein the aforementioned dignitaries were subjected to violence, has been disseminated across the social media platform, inciting public indignation.

The police endeavours were galvanised following the uproarious protests that reverberated within the Lok Sabha and the Kerala Legislative Assembly recently.

According to police, on March 31, adherents of Hindu religious factions intercepted two buses, compelling their passengers to alight at the Ranjhi police station area.

These passengers, hailing from Mandla, were accused of being transported to Jabalpur for the purpose of religious conversion.

The ensuing tumult within the police premises saw the arrival of Christian adherents, culminating in a visual recording wherein members of the “Hindu faction” were observed allegedly assailing Christian ecclesiastical figures.

The incident has caused vehement condemnation from Opposition members, including the Chief Minister of Kerala, Pinarayi Vijayan, and the Congress General Secretary, KC Venugopal.

On Thursday (April 3), these leaders castigated the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party for its perceived complicity in the alleged aggression against the Christian clergies in Jabalpur.

The matter was vociferously raised in the Lok Sabha, where opposition members even staged a walk-out.

Satish Sahu, City Superintendent of Police, Ranjhi (Jabalpur) told IANS that an FIR (First Information Report) was already registered on Wednesday, and said the apprehension of the accused was imminent, contingent upon their identification through the video evidence.

The police sources said that the incident transpired within the precincts of the Ranjhi station during an inquiry into allegations by members of Hindu outfits concerning the purported coercive conversion of tribals from Mandla.

According the police, on March 31, two buses carrying passengers from Maharajpur of Mandla district, accompanied by a priest and a nun, were traced to the city’s ecclesiastical establishments.

Local factions, harbouring suspicions of conversion, alerted the police, resulting in the bus and its occupants being escorted to the station.

Upon verification, the passengers professed their Christian faith whilst presenting Hindu identities in their documentation.

Following this scrutiny, the buses and their passengers were permitted to proceed. Mandla, a tribal dominated district, is approximately 100 km away from Jabalpur.

--IANS

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