Haryana village tense over conversion

Parvesh Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Jind, June 28

The alleged conversion of seven Dalit families to Christianity has created tension in Manoharpur village. 

Members of the village panchayat and some Hindu organisations held a meeting today to discuss the issue. They have decided to convene another meeting on Wednesday to convince the Dalit families to reconvert to Hinduism. Five Dalit families boycotted the meeting and met the Jind Superintendent of Police to seek protection.

Members of various Hindu organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and the Arya Samaj, along with the village panchayat, organised a “havan” for the alleged “purification” of the converted Dalits. Members of two Dalit families participated in the “havan” and announced they would embrace Hinduism again. Five other Dalit families did not attend the event.

“Dalit families are being lured to embrace Christianity. Seven families did so. Though the Constitution allows religious freedom, conversions effected by offering allurements are not acceptable. We have called another meeting on Wednesday to convince the members of these families to reconvert to Hinduism,” said Mahesh Mangla, Jind district president of the VHP.

Some villagers alleged that a group of Christians had been alluring families with money for the past two months. Initially, they tried to lure some general category families, but failed. 

They were, however, successful in luring these Dalit families with money, they alleged.

All Dalits living in the area were invited to attend today’s meeting, but members of only two such families turned up at the meeting venue (the village chaupal). Members of the remaining five Dalit families left the village and met Jind SP Abhishek Jorwal at his residence.

“We are not against any religion, but the conversions effected by offering money are illegal,” said Sajjan Garg, former chairman of the Jind Nagar Parishad.

SP Jorwal said some Dalits met him today and told that they believed in Christianity. “They alleged that the village panchayat has been pressuring them to reconvert to Hinduism, which is not right as everybody has religious freedom in India. I have directed the SHO and the DSP to take all steps to prevent any problem in the village,” he said.