Trans World Radio-India compelling its employees to convert

Innocent and gullible Hindus are exploited by the Christian missionaries not only in remote areas but also in metro cities like the national capital, New Delhi. The racket of converting innocent Hindus to Christianity has been flourishing in Delhi and the surrounding areas for decades. So much so that the evangelists have become so brash and impudent that a Christian institution -Trans World Radio, India (TWR, India) started compelling its Hindu employees to Christianity. When the employees outrightly rejected the proposal of their employer they were tortured in very inhuman ways and some of them were even sacked from their jobs. Those who are still in the service are being subjected to ruthless, inhuman torture every day and are denied even the weekly off or holidays on festivals.

These employees have been served three months of ultimatum on March 23, to either embrace Christianity or quit the job. “We are working in very inhuman conditions. Though the management has five days a week office, we are denied even the weekly off on Sundays and other festivals like Holi, Deepavali, Republic Day, Independence Day or even Christmas. Everyday we are tortured through different methods. Life has become hell for us and nobody is ready to listen to our woes. We were warned on March 23 to embrace Christianity within
three months or resign from the job, alleges Lal Singh Yadav, a cleaner in TWR-India. He said the TWR-India adopted all means allurement of money, promotion, etc. as well as threat to remove from the jobs, if the non-Christian employees do not embrace Christianity.

Now the employees are denied even their salary and they have been told to collect donations if they wish to draw salary at the end of the month. We are told that the institution has stopped getting aid for the Hindu employees and if you wish to draw your salary as a Hindu employee collect donations. We have been  given receipt books to collect donations. We are constantly being told that if we become Christian we shall get higher salary and other facilities, alleged Lal Singh.

Meanwhile, the victims approached the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate, New Delhi, requesting to save them from the forced conversion. The court summoned the culprits and granted bail on March 28. According to the petition filed by the five employees of TWR-India (Ram Babu, Ghanshyam, Munna, Lal Singh and Hari Prasad) the officers of the TWR-India particularly Smt. Christine Swaroop Raj (Director HR), Smt Vinita Sahai (CEO), Smt. Dezy Sem, Supervisor, Shri Shakti Verma (Technical Director), have been pressuring and torturing them for the last few years to convert to Christianity.

Passing adverse comments upon Hinduism that Hinduism has many castes and the upper castes do not accept the lower caste i.e. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes is a daily routine there. In the month of June 2007, Smt. Vinita Sahai told Ram Babu, “Tum chamar chuhde aise hi kutte ki tarah rahoge aur tumeh sab kuchh jhelna parega agar tum isse bachna chahte ho to apna dharma badal kar Christian ban jao.” When Ram Babu requested her not to comment like this she got furious and repeated the comment.

In the month of August 2007, Smt. Dezy Sen told Ghanshyam to convey to all the Hindu employees that hereafter they would have to take their meals only by sitting near the toilet. When Ghanshyam wanted to know the reason, she got infuriated and said, “Tum log bhangi ho aur tumeh toilet ke paas hi baith kar khana parega aur agar tum aisa nahin karoge to tumeh naukri se nikal diya jayega.” Thereafter the victims were forced to sit near the toilet in foul
smell and were compelled to take their meals there only. The victims tolerated it, as they do not have any other source of income.

In October 2007, Ram Babu approached Shri Shakti Verma and apprised him of the maltreatment and harassment meted out to them and very humbly requested him to request the management not to harass them. But to the utmost shock and surprise, Shri Verma started abusing him in filthy language saying, “tum sab chure chamaron ko jute maar kar bahar nikalenge.” The management of TWR-India levelled false allegations against Ram Babu for misbehaving with the seniors and also not performing the duties properly. A false and frivolous inquiry was ordered against him and finally he was removed from the job. All the five victims were frequently called bhangi ka kutta. Not only this, the victims were called in the office by the accused persons and were made to sit for hours and were harassed and pressurised to convert their religion against their wish.

The victims were boycotted socially and were treated discriminately as neither they are allowed to sit along with other employees specially the Christian employees of the management nor they are allowed to interact with them. They adversely commented that until and unless they change their religion they would be treated in the same fashion and even may be worse than that. The aggrieved victims also lodged complaint with the Police Station in Hauz Khas with copies to DCP South, Lt. Governor of Delhi and Human Right Commission on January 10, 2008, but in vain.

On January 15, 2008, Smt. Christine Swaroop Raj called Lal Singh in her office and straight-way started abusing on the pretext that why they lodged complaint against them. Lal Singh humbly apprised her of the harassment they were being subjected. But instead of paying any heed to the complaint of Lal Singh, she burst into anger and said, “Ya to tum sabhi bhangi-chamaron ko Christian banna parega nahin to main tumeh naukri se nikaal dungi.” The victims also approached the Labour Commissioner, SHO and National Commission for SC/ST but of no avail so far.

The victims are harassed every day. Ram Babu had been appointed as Attender in 1993 and instead of promoting to further higher rank, he was down graded to cleaner without any cause, reason or fault on his part. “One day I inadvertently touched the meals prepared for the persons attending a meeting. I was not only abused by the incharge but also was pushed away using very filthy language,” alleges Ghanshyam. When the Hindu employees went to the court, the management transferred them to Chennai, where they are allegedly being tortured
not only by them but also by the local police.

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