(updated) Chitwan police have arrested a person operating a child home illegally, on the charge of non registering the child home and of carrying out the forced conversion of locals to Christianity in Bharatpur, Sub-metropolis, Chitwan today. The arrested has been identified as Pratik Sunar, operator of the child home Peace Nepal in the sub-metropolis. Superintendent of Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar of District Police Office, Chitwan said that a case was filed against Sunar under the public offence act. Police said that the child home has been operating without registering with the concerned authority for the last two years. Police said children in the home were made to read the Bible and sing Bible hymns every day. Eight children from grades I to III stay in the home. SP Kunwar said that the children would be transferred to another place. Meanwhile, Chief District Officer of Chitwan Binod Prakash Singh said that the monitoring team had found almost all child homes forcing children to convert to Christianity; keeping more children than capacity in the house, and not providing children with proper nutrition. We will take action against those who operate child home illegally in the district," informed CDO Singh. Children in the homes are also reportedly made to work against their will. As many as 32 children homes are currently operating in the district.

Update......................... Authorities here have rescued seven children from an illegally-run Child Care Centre in the district. A joint team of the District Administration Office, the District Police Office and Office of the Women and Children rescued the children from Peace Nepal Child Care Centre, said Mahesh Raj Poudel, Office of the Women and Children. The rescued children are Sarita Chepang, 10, Soni Chepang, 11, of Siddika Chitwan, Rupa Rawat, 11, Parasi Bumi, 9, Rana Shobha Raut, 11, of Humla and Asmita Sunar, 9, Prashasti Sunar, 9, of Nawalparasi, said Chitwan police chief Basanta Kunwar. Locals have complained that the children were forcibly Christianized. Update from 15.9.2016: According to the Women and Children office -Chitwan, Pratik Sunar (Peace Nepal Child Home) was arrested and jailed for some days but had since been released on a small bond amount and required to be present when summoned by the district police office. A case has been filed under the following category: Operating Child Home centre without registration; not meeting government the standard for Child Home and forceful Religious conversion. Children of Peace Nepal had been shifted to another shelter under the supervision of Women and Children office - Chitwan.