Uttarkashi: The pastor of a church in Mussoorie, his wife and four other people have been booked in connection with alleged unlawful conversions in a village in the Purola area here, police said on Wednesday.
On Friday, people of the village had clashed with organisers of an event attended by Christian clerics at Devdhung in Uttarkashi district, accusing them of unlawful conversion.
Cases were registered at the Purola police station against people associated with the missionary organisation called ‘Asha Aur Jivan Kendra’ as well as five villagers, Purola Station House Officer (SHO) Komal Singh Rawat had said earlier.
On Wednesday, Rawat said, “Pastor of Mussoorie’s Union Church Lazarus Cornelius, his wife Pushpa Cornelius and four others have been booked in connection with the incident.” The pastor had gone to the village in Purola area along with his team to allegedly convert people, he said.
An investigation has been ordered into the matter on a priority basis, the SHO said.
Earlier, a woman of Nepalese origin who is a key witness in the case, had told police in a statement that she was under pressure from Christian missionary to convert.
They had offered to pay for her marriage besides giving her other gifts to tempt her to convert, she alleged.
Dozens of Nepalese families have been working in the apple orchards of Dhadoli, Sarla, Chalni, Karda and Chaptadi areas of the district for decades. —PTI