Misled On RSS Conversion, Say Muslim Families In Agra

The 57 Muslim families in Uttar Pradesh's Agra district, who the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) claimed to have 'converted' to Hinduism, have said that they were misled by Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag and Bajrang Dal activists into believing that the event was for BPL cards and not for religious conversion.

"We did not know anything about it. We were forced to convert our religion. We were promised that our IDs will be made. We were just asked to dress properly. The men were asked to wear skull caps," a woman at Madhunagar slum area of the city said.


The Bajrang Dal and the Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag, an RSS offshoot, on Monday claimed to have converted the families into Hinduism at a 'Purkhon ki ghar vapsi' (Coming home of the ancestors) ceremony, where the right-wing groups said they were able to bring more than 200 Muslims "back to Hinduism".
  
The RSS and Bajrang Dal members had prepared a list of all the 'converts' to get their voter IDs and Aadhaar cards made with their new names, an event later defended by the BJP. "People shouldd be free to choose their own religion. If they have again adopted Hinduism, there is no harm," senior party leader Vinay Katiyar said on Tuesday.

What happened in Parliament over forced conversion issue?

The issue rocked Parliament on Wednesday with Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati hitting out at the NDA government over the issue. "Forced conversions will trigger communal tension in the country. The central government is responsible for this. The central and Uttar Pradesh governments must take this issue seriously. Communal forces must be stopped from doing such things," she said.

"If in a secular nation, focible religion conversion is taking place, the government must take action against the people doing this," senior Congress leader Manish Tewari said.

Minister of State for Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, denied the accusation of the RSS being involved, saying, "In my knowledge, an FIR has been registered over the issue. It is wrong to drag any organization into this due to political reasons." The RSS is the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP at the Centre.

Senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra said, "This is not at all forcible if someone wants to change his or her religion on her own. Our constitution gives them that right, so what's wrong in it? It shows a deliberate attempt on the part of state government to make it an issue."

Reports also said the RSS is planning a larger conversion ceremony in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh on Christmas, when it plans to convert nearly 4000 Muslims and Christians from the area into Hinduism.