Forced Conversion In Gujarat

Shabnam Hashmi


Today morning a battery of Forest officers and police descended on the village of Nandapeda near Ahwa in the Dangs, Gujarat. They pulled out the doors and the windows, pulled out the wooden ballis which support the roof; they pulled out wood from the roof of the huts of the villagers. The forest department decided late night that it was illegal wood and they must recover it.

The ATS meanwhile rounded up a few people.
Nandapeda is the only village with majority Muslim population in the Dangs district, considered the poorest district in the whole of India.
The government has been pressurizing the Muslims to convert to the Hindu religion or face eviction from their land.
Some of the residents of this village moved the Gujarat High Court against the government's pressure of converting and changing their religion.
The families have been living in the village for over 100 years.
On June 13th 2008 a senior officer had called a meeting in Ahwa and asked them to change their religion or vacate the land.
After this meeting police and forest officers had been harassing them. Police have been searching old cases registered against any person of the community and asking them to furnish bail papers. The police targeted 33 people against whom some petty crime or a scuffle with the neighbors was registered.
Claiming that repeated representation before authorities for regularization of their land has been in vain, petitioners requested the court to restrain the government from pressurizing them to convert from their religion. Justice Jayant Panchal had in July sought explanation in this regard from the secretary in-charge, district collector and the village sarpanch.
After hearing all parties, Justice Anant Dave admitted the case on September 11, 2008 and ordered to maintain status quo on the disputed land.
On the next day the police captured approximately 80 villagers for transporting cattle into Maharashtra and also apprehended some villagers who were going on motorcycles using the reason of cow slaughter, though there were no cattle in the tempo.

The villagers gathered. There was a clash between the villagers and the police. People were beaten on both the sides. One policeman was also beaten up. Police then opened fire and a number of villagers got bullet injuries. They were taken to Ahwa civil hospitals. The relatives were not allowed to meet them. Police apprehended eight villagers for beating a policeman and though a local lawyer went for their bail, it was not given.
Next day the police came and in the name of combing operation attacked and ransacked the village. Villagers were beaten up brutally including women and children. All men fled to the jungles. The police not only took away all the goods but before going they poured kerosene into the eatable good so that they could not eat anything too.
VHP proposed a rally on 15th.
After a lot of pressure the VHP rally was stopped but they declared a Bandh on 16th.
The VHP gave a deadline to the collector it is heard to get the village vacated.
Today morning as already mentioned the forest department swooped in.
The villagers need urgent help and intervention. I have been personally informing various state politicians and centre about the developments
http://www.counterc urrents.org/ hashmi170908. htm

"I am a living example, representing 2.5 million Manipuris, where my forefathers were forcibly converted to Hinduism in 19th century, which is known as PUYA MEITHABA (burning of Meitei Script) by Hindu missionary"


Who Really Does Conversion?
By Madhu Chandra
17 September, 2008Countercurrents. org
Hindutva fundamentalists have chosen Conversion as a yardstick to kill missionaries, rape nuns, and vandalize churches.
Who actually does fraudulent conversion? Charges are given to Christians and made it as real to whole nation through saffron sponsored media. I am a living example, representing 2.5 million Manipuris, where my forefathers were forcibly converted to Hinduism in 19th century, which is known as PUYA MEITHABA (burning of Meitei Script) by Hindu missionary. Ever since then, every Manipuri (Meitei) has Singh at the end of every name, although many youngsters are abandoning it by returning to indigenous Meitei religion.
The casteism and untouchability emerged after migration of Hinduism to the Manipur society where caste or creed never existed earlier.
The saffronisation of Hindutva, which is purely the proselytizing movement, does not end with my people there. The ongoing conversion of tribal communities to Hinduism is still in full swing in different parts tribal dominated areas.
We have witnessed the saffronising of Dang district of Gujarat during Sabri Kumbha Mela in 2006. The tribal of Jhabua in MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhan, Assam, Arunachal etc are the example of saffronising propaganda of Hindutva forces.
In the land where anti conversion law is forcefully implemented, the tribal Christians in Kandhamal district of Orissa are in night mire at the hands of Hindutva forces. To be alive in the village, become Hindu otherwise get out or get kill is the threatening almost every now and then to the tribal Christians in Kandhamal. The law making machinery calls it freedom of religion.

Christians in MP, Orissa and other states where anti conversion laws exist are accused for their involvement in forced conversion when they themselves are the victim of forced conversion at the hands of Hindutva forces.
The Christian population in last twenty years has declined in India. Then how and where comes the question of more people being converted to Christianity in India?
The allegations of conversion is lie and hate campaign of Hindutva forces to license themselves to rape, kill, burn and vandalize the Christian churches. While all religions as per as the constitutions of India, welcomes everyone to their religions. The force, fraud and fraudulent conversion carried out is none other than Hindutva forces, that too totally against the will and wishes of the individuals so as it was done to my forefathers in Manipur and its consequences still suffer by the presently community.
http://www.counterc urrents.org/ chandra170908. htm