03-13-2007, 07:58 PM
Not related, but relevant to UP
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Priest to convert after torture by goons, police
SP Singh | Ghaziabad
<b>A priest has announced to embrace Islam in protest against the callous attitude of police on his complaint. Swami Prem Swarup Sashtri, an eminent priest and a regular preacher of 'Bhagwad-Katha' on television channel Astha, lodged a complaint with the Modi Nagar police station that some local goons had looted all the valuables from his house, burnt his house and had threatened to kill him. </b>
But the police, instead of acting on his complaint on February 8, 2007, dumped him in the lock up along with the accused against whom the priest had lodged the complaint.
The accused thrashed the priest and threatened him to face dire consequences if he did not withdraw the complaint.
Enraged by the attitude of the police the priest took shelter under a senior lawyer MM Tripathi in Delhi and announced that he would embrace Islam if he fails to get justice.
The sordid story of the priest started last February when he bought a house No E-14 and 20 at Barrack No-3, Warder Lane, Modi Nagar.
On February 8, six persons, residents of the same locality, who had plans to grab the houses, raided his house ransacked the furniture and beds and demanded Rs 1 lakh as extortion money.
They threatened that he would be eliminated if the money was not given to them within 24 hours. After this incidence, the priest lodged the complaint with the police.
But the police locked the priest along with the six accused in the same lock up. There the accused threatened the priest with dire consequences once they were release from the lock up. But with the mediation of local persons a compromise was accorded between them.
But on March 4, 2007 six persons again attacked his house, looted all the valuables and burnt the house. The priest again lodged complaint with the police, but the police arrested the culprits under lighter sections of IPC and released them the next day on March 5, 2007.
Once out of the lock up, all the six accused, Govind Sharma, Mahesh and Chhotu - all sons of Ram Autar Sharma, - along with Sonu and Subhash - sons of Iswar Sharma - threatened him to kill. The priest, however, escaped and took shelter with lawyer MM Tripathi in Delhi.
The priest, on telephone, told this reporter that his daughters are appearing in the UP Board examinations and are staying at Modi Nagar and he fears for their security. "I have shifted them to a relative's house and I am staying in Delhi," he said.
"We dare to go to Modi Nagar since a rein of terror of goons is prevailing there and the police is conniving with them," alleged the priest.
On his future plans, the priest said he had faced torture for more than a month. "<b>The Modi Nagar police are involved in the criminal act. If I would have been a Muslim, no one would have dared to cast an eye on me or my home, which I bought through legal ways with my hard earned money. Therefore I have decided to embrace Islam at a Masjid at Kalchhina. I would documented my conversion and this is not just an announcement</b>," he asserted.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Priest to convert after torture by goons, police
SP Singh | Ghaziabad
<b>A priest has announced to embrace Islam in protest against the callous attitude of police on his complaint. Swami Prem Swarup Sashtri, an eminent priest and a regular preacher of 'Bhagwad-Katha' on television channel Astha, lodged a complaint with the Modi Nagar police station that some local goons had looted all the valuables from his house, burnt his house and had threatened to kill him. </b>
But the police, instead of acting on his complaint on February 8, 2007, dumped him in the lock up along with the accused against whom the priest had lodged the complaint.
The accused thrashed the priest and threatened him to face dire consequences if he did not withdraw the complaint.
Enraged by the attitude of the police the priest took shelter under a senior lawyer MM Tripathi in Delhi and announced that he would embrace Islam if he fails to get justice.
The sordid story of the priest started last February when he bought a house No E-14 and 20 at Barrack No-3, Warder Lane, Modi Nagar.
On February 8, six persons, residents of the same locality, who had plans to grab the houses, raided his house ransacked the furniture and beds and demanded Rs 1 lakh as extortion money.
They threatened that he would be eliminated if the money was not given to them within 24 hours. After this incidence, the priest lodged the complaint with the police.
But the police locked the priest along with the six accused in the same lock up. There the accused threatened the priest with dire consequences once they were release from the lock up. But with the mediation of local persons a compromise was accorded between them.
But on March 4, 2007 six persons again attacked his house, looted all the valuables and burnt the house. The priest again lodged complaint with the police, but the police arrested the culprits under lighter sections of IPC and released them the next day on March 5, 2007.
Once out of the lock up, all the six accused, Govind Sharma, Mahesh and Chhotu - all sons of Ram Autar Sharma, - along with Sonu and Subhash - sons of Iswar Sharma - threatened him to kill. The priest, however, escaped and took shelter with lawyer MM Tripathi in Delhi.
The priest, on telephone, told this reporter that his daughters are appearing in the UP Board examinations and are staying at Modi Nagar and he fears for their security. "I have shifted them to a relative's house and I am staying in Delhi," he said.
"We dare to go to Modi Nagar since a rein of terror of goons is prevailing there and the police is conniving with them," alleged the priest.
On his future plans, the priest said he had faced torture for more than a month. "<b>The Modi Nagar police are involved in the criminal act. If I would have been a Muslim, no one would have dared to cast an eye on me or my home, which I bought through legal ways with my hard earned money. Therefore I have decided to embrace Islam at a Masjid at Kalchhina. I would documented my conversion and this is not just an announcement</b>," he asserted.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->