Chhattisgarh: 5 More Arrested After Clash Over 'Religious Conversions' In Narayanpur

With this, eight people have been arrested in connection with the incident which took place in Gorra village under Edka police station limits on January 1.

New Delhi: The Police on Sunday arrested five more people in connection with a clash between two groups over alleged religious conversion in the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.

According to news agency PTI, Five more persons arrested on Sunday have been identified as Premsagar Netam (48), Lacchu Karanga (32), Santuram Dugga (35), Punuram Dugga (45) and Rajman Karanga (46), all residents of Narayanpur district, an official said.

With this, eight people have been arrested in connection with the incident which took place in Gorra village under Edka police station limits on January 1, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

The people were produced before a local court which sent the accused to a judicial court, the report stated.

As per PTI, three separate cases were registered at Edka police stations after complaints from tribals, tribal Christians, and police about the alleged attacks. There have been reports of unrest at various villages in the Benoor area of the district for the last two months over the issue of alleged religious conversion.

On January 2, a church was vandalised and six police personnel, including an IPS officer, were injured in Narayanpur city during a protest by a group of tribals against the alleged religious conversion in the tribal-dominated area.

The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Narayanpur district unit and four others were arrested for their alleged role in the violence, the SP said. On Saturday, six more persons were arrested in connection with the alleged vandalism at the church and attack on policemen. 

The tribals gathered in Narayanpur, nearly 240 km from the capital Raipur, to protest against a clash between two communities on Sunday over alleged religious conversion in Edka village in the district. Soon after the meeting, the crowd barged into a church, located on the premises of a private school and vandalised it.

The rioters attacked Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar and five police personnel when they were trying to disperse the crowd.

The discord between the Christian and non-Christian communities in the district had been brewing for some time.

(With agency inputs)