Mission Hindutva: VHP
reconverts 50 tribals in Ben
Title: Mission Hindutva: VHP
reconverts 50 tribals in Bengal
Author:
Publication: The Asian Age
Date: April 14, 2000.
In yet another religious conversion drive by the VHP, about 50
tribespeople, including Christians, made a symbolic return to
their original faith by pouring milk and paddy into a blazing
ritual fire in a remote village of West Bengal.
The tribespeople, 17 of them Christians, were reconverted by the
VHP at Popda village, 16 km from Malda town, in a swift and secret
operation on Wednesday. This was the VHP's second reconversion
drive in just over a month. On February 27, it reconverted about
245 tribespeople of whom 200 were Christians.
The 50 people who attended the latest reconversion ceremony did
not all come from the Popda village but also from nearby districts
of North and South Dinajpur in West Bengal and the Purnea district
in neighbouring Bihar. Organisers of the ceremony claimed it was
reconversion as the participants in the rituals were originally
Hindus.
According to local VHP functionary Kimangshu Mondal,"We had
invited all those who had changed their religion under duress or
temptation to partake of this paravartan ceremony and make a
symbolic return to their original faith". Of the 50 people
who became Hindus, 13 were men and 37 women.
But the ceremony does not appear to be a spontaneous event as is
being projected by the VHP. The 17 Christians who were reconverted
had been taken to Malda court a month ago by VHP volunteers where
they had filed affidavits saying they had converted to
Christianity under temptation and were now reconverting to
Hinduism at their own will.
The states Left Front government has said it is unaware of the
incident. The reconversion ceremony was organised on Wednesday to
coincide with Basanti Puja. The 50 reconverts were asked to
observe a fast, take a dip in a village pond at the break of dawn
and then participate in the fire ritual.
The tribespeople huddled around a fire and sprinkled milk and
paddy while a tribal priest chanted hymns in Santhali, the tribal
dialect. They then took some vows that completed their return to
Hinduism. The ceremony was reportedly kept short and secretive.
The VHP's chief organiser in the state, Mr Asit Bhattacharya, said
earlier that reconversion ceremonies are being kept a closely
guarded secret because previous publicity had attracted government
action.
Mr Bhattacharya claimed there was no question of coercion and it
was not the first time that reconversion has taken place. He said
42 tribal Christians had been reconverted last year in Malda and
280 Muslims in Murshidabad.
"This is part of a continuous process. We have reconverted
hundreds of willing non-Hindus. The government cannot stop us when
the people are willing", he said. The VHP alleges that
Christian missionaries take advantage of the poverty and ignorance
of the tribespeople and convert them after offering material
comforts as allurements.
Some of the reconverts of Popda village said they were not sure
why they had returned to Hinduism. "I converted because the
village chief asked me to", one of the converts said.
The VHP-initiated conversion drives are gaining ground in West
Bengal, but the government, except on one occasion, has by and
large failed to detect the groups activities.(India Abroad News
Service)
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