HC asks cops to act on Kerala man plea against ‘forcible conversion’ of wife, son

Acting on a habeas corpus petition filed by a Christian man, stating that his wife and minor son were converted to Islam allegedly under coercion, a division bench of Kerala High Court on Wednesday directed the state police to produce them within a week and file a probe report.

According to the petitioner, Gilbert P T, a CPI(M) branch committee member at Neerolpalam in Malappuram district, his wife and son were allegedly converted under coercion and have been unlawfully detained by Therbiyathul Islam Sabha in Kozhikode.

Gilbert has alleged that the local mahallu committee took them to the Islam Sabha on June 6 and got them converted within 24 hours. The petition states that Gilbert filed a missing complaint the next day with local police, which traced them to the religious institution. When she was brought before a local magistrate, she was under the threat of local Muslim people, whom the petitioner has arraigned as respondents.

Gilbert has accused local panchayat member Naseema Yunus, a member of the Indian Union Muslim League, and her husband Yunus of allegedly inducing his wife to get converted and had promised her a house in return. The petitioner stated that his wife had informed him about the offer, which he had rejected.

Gilbert said that appropriate investigation should be carried out to find out the intention behind alleged coercive conversion of his wife and son.