Bhubanewar, Orissa. March 6: The Global Council of Indian Christians yesterday sought the immediate intervention of the President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, in the matter pertaining to "coercive conversion" of Christians to Hinduism in Jharsuguda district of Orissa.

The national convener of the Council, Sajan K. George, issued a statement from Bangalore in favour of the Council urging the President of India to direct the State Government to protect the Christian tribal population in the state of Orissa.

On March 4, as many as 212 Christians belonging to 53 tribal families were converted to Hinduism in Jharsuguda district of Orissa. The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) leader and former Union Minister, Dilip Singh Judeo and several Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) leaders attended the ceremony. The function was jointly organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.

It is learned that many Hindu fundamentalists have accused Christians of forcefully converting many tribals in the past; therefore their motive is to reconvert those converted ones back to Hinduism. However, Christians have never ever forcefully convert any other regilious faiths into its fold without the involvement of their freewill. If there is any so-called forceful conversion, such conversion is not a true conversion.

In recent time, in the name of conversion, Christians in different parts of India have been attacked and forcefully reconverted to another faith.

As the general election of India approach politicians with vested interest have started indulging in pleasing the majority Hindus and doesn't seem to care whatever costs it meant to the minorities in general and the Christian community in particular.

And a call for Indian President to uphold the fabric of Secularism is the last and the only thing that the victims can do.


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Note : Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) is an association of the concerned who have been anxious about the trends of intolerance triggered by religious fundamentalists in the Indian society. GCIC was established for the advocacy of freedom of faith and continues to lobby the agencies and people responsible at the local and national levels for upholding and
implementation of the constitutional guarantees and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. GCIC seeks to voice the concerns and difficulties being faced by the Indians in various nations in practice of their faith.

Visit their website at www.gcic.us

- By our South Asia Special Correspondent