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The State unit of the BJP has decided to send a detailed report to the Centre on the spate of conversions to Christianity in Chhattisgarh.
Describing it as a continuation of the task undertaken by Christian missionaries in Europe and Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly, Nand Kumar Sai, alleged today that the conversions were receiving administrative patronage under the present Government. He told The Hindu that his party would prepare an elaborate report on the role of the Government machinery in promoting the conversions and send it to the Centre. The decision was taken after reports of 13 tribal families embracing Christianity in Mirigamuda village of Raigarh district on August 16 arrived here yesterday.
Police have admitted conversions having taken place but said only 21 persons had embraced Christianity. A priest, I.C.John, was specially sent to Raigarh for baptism. On the other hand, there have been reports of some lower caste Sikh families embracing Christianity in Durg district. Taking a serious note of the situation, the Sikh Panchayat had sought advice from the New Delhi and Amritsar offices of the Sikh Dharma Prachar Committee to tackle the issue. The panchayat had also undertaken a door-to-door survey of the Sikh families to ascertain how many of them were being lured into embracing Christianity. About half-a-dozen families who were reportedly being persuaded to embrace Christianity had been identified. The Sikh Panchayat would now alert the members of their community in Chhattisgarh against conversions.
During the visit of Pope John Paul II and the Bishops Conference in New Delhi, it was decided to target the Asian sub-continent as the main centre of conversions, which resulted in large-scale conversions in Kerala and the northeast, Mr. Sai alleged. "Now it is Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh where a massive campaign is being carried out to achieve this target," he said.
Twelve plots of land within the Achanakmar forest area in Bilaspur district were being cleared for construction of churches, Mr. Sai said. The Forest Minister had to order an inquiry into the incident when it was brought to his notice.
The findings are yet to be made public but reports received indicate that temporary structures have already come up at these places.
Another big church, is being built at a cost of Rs. seven crores on the Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra border in Rajnandgaon district.
Cycle-rickshaw pullers at Mahadev
Ghat in Raipur were being offered free meals and given sermons on Christianity.
However, the matter was reported in newspapers and the free meal supply
was stopped immediately, he said.
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