VHP ‘converts’ 19 Christian tribals to Hinduism

via Timesofindia.com published on April 11, 2008

MALDA: Vishwa Hindu Parishad has “brought back” 19 tribals to Hinduism at a paravartan (homecoming) ceremony in Malda on Thursday. The event, held at Bharat Sevashram Sangh’s ashram at Tajpur, kicks off a massive “reconversion” programme in the Adivasi belt, said senior VHP leaders.

The tribal belt of Malda-Dinajpur has seen many such reconversions in recent times. “We’ll intensify our ‘paravartan’ programme to bring back people who were lured into Christianity and Islam,” said a VHP leader.

The 19 ‘reconverts’ hail from the backward tribal village of Bordanga. Swami Hiranmayananda was brought from Kolkata to conduct the ‘purification’ yajna in front of a crowd of hundreds, including local BJP leader Asit Sarkar and chief of Hindu Milan Mandir Swami Jibannada.

Pulin Mardi, his wife Sanjini and son Tabi were the first to have converted from Christianity back to Hinduism.

“The missionaries lured us with amenities. We realised this and decided to come back to Hinduism,” said Pulin. Hakim Tudu and Babulal Murmu claimed that they were Christians by birth as their father took to Christianity years ago. “It is our duty to rectify the mistake,” they said.