In Alappuzha, members of eight Christian families - a total of 30 people - reportedly embraced Hinduism at a temple function organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). In Kollam, there were five people who reportedly became Hindus.
Additional Director General of Police A. Hemachandran has been asked to probe the matter and submit a report, Chennithala told reporters on Sunday. "He will look into whether any law was violated," he said.
The VHP, meanwhile, said all those who became Hindus Sunday decided to convert on their own, and all the organisation did was to prepare the stage for it. Reports said another 300 people in Alappuzha have expressed their desire to embrace Hinduism, and the conversion ceremony was likely to take place on Christmas day.
Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah, who was in the state on Saturday, said his party was against forced religious conversion. Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, who is currently in Delhi to take part in the politburo meeting, alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was behind Sunday's conversions.
In Kerala, Hindus comprise more than 50 percent of the 32 million population, followed by Muslims with 24 percent while Christians occupy the third place with 22 percent.
Meanwhile on Sunday, the VHP also announced that it re-converted over 200 Christians back to Hinduism in the state of Gujarat. According to a PTI report, the 'ghar wapsi' rituals as the VHP has been calling them were held at Aranai village in Valsad district of BJP-ruled Gujarat.
VHP insisted that the re-conversion was "voluntary" and not by force. "As part of the ongoing 'Ghar Vapsi' programme, VHP today re-converted 225 people from Christian community and took them back into Hindu religion," said Valsad district VHP chief Natu Patel.
He said VHP organised a 'Maha Yagnya' (ritual of the sacred fire) for "purification" of the tribals before taking them back in Hindu-fold and also gave each of them a copy of Bhagwad Gita. Another VHP worker, Ashok Sharma, said around 3,000 people had gathered at the 'Ghar-Vaapsi' programme in Valsad, which culminated on Saturday.
"VHP today greeted around 225 people back in their own religion in Valsad. We have not forced them, they came on their own wish," Sharma said.
These two incidents from Kerala and Gujarat come against the backdrop of a raging debate over such programmes being organised by Sangh Parivar groups in various parts of the country. A controversy had erupted early this month when a right wing group had organised a 'Ghar-wapasi' drive wherein it reportedly converted about 100 people from a minority community in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
The incident had created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha with the opposition demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A similar incident was also reported from BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh where a party MP had claimed 39 tribal Christians were re-converted to Hinduism in Naxal-hit Bastar district in October this year.
In its response to the opposition over the conversion issue, BJP has demanded bringing of anti-conversion law.
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