Panjim: Following complaints that religious conversions were made using coercion and fraud in the premises of Five Pillar Church in Sodiem at Siolim, the North Goa district collector has forbidden pastor Domnic D’Souza and Joan D’Souza from carrying out “religious activities”. North Goa district collector Sanjeev Dessai took the step on Wednesday in accordance with Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, in response to a report from the North Goa superintendent of police.

 

The report spoke about serious law and order situation at Tropawaddo in Sodiem, where people and some activists protested against the couple for allegedly carrying out religious conversions in their premises. The report maintained that the couple was undertaking religious conversions while preaching to the people in the name of prayer and healing. “They are carrying out religious activities within the premises that are under their control at Tropawaddo, Sodiem, Siolim in Bardez Goa, which has raised communal tension in the village as sources and locals are alleging that Joan Mascarenhas e D’Souza and Domnic D’Souza are involved in religious conversions by means of allurement or fraud,” the collector’s order stated citing the North SP’s report.

 

The North Goa SP further informed the collector that Domnic D’Souza and Joan Mascarenhas e D’Souza are of communal background and were accused in the criminal cases lodged at the Mapusa police station; the offences are connected to communalism. They have in the past caused serious law and order issues in the vicinity of Tropawaddo, Sodiem.

 

The collector was also made aware of the recent Supreme Court observations on forced, coerced, or fraudulent religious conversions. The SC had said that religious conversions might eventually have an impact on national security as well as people’s freedom of religion and conscience.

 

Following careful consideration of the report, the collector determined that immediate action was required to prevent law and order problems in the village of Sodiem, Siolim, and for this purpose, it is necessary to proceed under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, to impose a ban on the religious activities carried out by Joan Mascarenhas e D’Souza and Domnic D’Souza.

 

“I Sanjeev C.G. Dessai, District Magistrate, North Goa District, in exercise of the powers vested in me under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, do hereby order to ban to carry out religious activities by Joan Mascarenhas e D’Souza and Domnic D’Souza in their institutional building situated in the property bearing Sy. No. 221/8A and H. No. 302/4, Tropawaddo, Sodiem, Siolim, at Bardez in order to curb the religious conversions by means of allurement or fraud which may ultimately affect the freedom of religious and conscience of citizens,” the order has said.