Kanpur man commits suicide, pressure for religious conversion; probe on

A 23-year-old man allegedly committed suicide after being pressured to convert his religion in Kanpur's Panki area, triggering protests by family members and locals, officials said on Friday. According to the police, the deceased, Rohit Singh alias Deepak, a resident of Ratanpur here, was found hanging inside his house on Wednesday. Before taking the extreme step, Rohit uploaded a video on social media in which he alleged forced religious conversion. In the purported video, he also spoke against drug abuse, urged a ban on narcotics and appealed for respect towards women, police said. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation, they said. After the post-mortem on Thursday, the family brought the body home. On Friday morning, relatives and residents staged a protest by placing the body on the Panki-Ratanpur Road, leading to a traffic disruption for about an hour and demanding strict action against those responsible. Family members alleged that Rohit was assaulted and pressured to convert after being taken away by unidentified youngsters at Lucknow's Charbagh railway station. Kanpur Police Commissioner Raghubir Lal said, ''Given the sensitivity of the matter, it is being taken very seriously.'' He added, ''Based on the viral video and the allegations made by the family, an FIR has been registered and two police teams have been formed to investigate the matter.'' Police said CCTV footage from Charbagh and other locations is being examined and assured ''strict legal action'' against those found guilty.