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)