The alleged forced reconversion of about 100 people to Hinduism in Agra by a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate set off a chorus of criticism against the government today by the opposition inside and outside Parliament with its leaders calling it illegal and demanding 'strict' action.
Responding to the attack by the opposition who also demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government washed its hands off the issue, saying it had no role and that law and order is a state subject. Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party claimed the reconversion was voluntary and it was not forcibly done.
The Agra police, meanwhile, filed an FIR against a Hindu outfit, an RSS offshoot, over the incident on Monday.
The Sadar Bazaar Police, which filed the FIR, launched investigation into the case against Dharma Jagran Manch and its UP convener Kishore.
Police registered cases under Section 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups) and Section 415 (using fraudulent means) of the IPC.
It has been alleged in the FIR that promises were held out by the organisers which included getting BPL cards and housing plots for those who embraced Hinduism.
Raising the issue in Rajya Sabha, the Bahujan Samaja Party chief Mayawati alleged that RSS-affiliate Bajrang Dal converted some Muslim families to Hinduism in Agra by force and by allurement.
The Constitution, she said, guarantees religious freedom and that it was the responsibility of both the Centre and the state government to ensure safety of life, property and religion of all.
"The Government should take serious note of the Agra incident ... strict action should be taken," she said, warning that such forced conversions will create and breed communal tension in the country.
Forced conversions should be stopped; she demanded as members from Congress, Left, TMC and SP echoed her sentiments and shouted 'Pradhan Mantri Jawab Do (Prime Minister reply)'.
Anand Sharma (Cong) said the government should be directed to give a clarification on the issue.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi informed the agitated members that an FIR has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh government on the issue.
"Action has to be taken by state government. Law and order is a state issue and the state government has to deal with it. Centre has no role in that," he said. The reconversion issue also had its echo in the Lok Sabha.
Outside Parliament, Communist Party of India's D Raja alleged that attempts are being made to impose the Hindutva agenda on everybody.
CPI (Marxist) leader Sitaram Yechury said this is the dirtiest of vote-bank politics being played by RSS and the BJP while former Union minister and Congress leader Veerappa Moily called it ‘anti- national’.
BJP leader Vinay Katiyar said that the consent of the participants was obtained before their re-conversion.
In UP, the Home Secretary Kamal Saxena said the state government has taken a serious view of the incident and has sent directives to respective district police chiefs to put their intelligence units on alert and check its recurrence.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said an FIR has been filed by the Uttar Pradesh government on the issue.
"Action has to be taken by state government. Law and order is a state issue and the state government has to deal with it. Centre has no role in that," he said.
He objected to the RSS name being mentioned in the case saying it was not appropriate to take name of the organisation for ‘political reasons’ and the chair should expunge the same.
Meanwhile, the Agra police have launched a manhunt for Nand Kishore Balmiki, who is accused of duping a number of poor local Muslims into converting themselves to Hinduism by promising to provide them with BPL ration cards that would entitle them to free rations.
According to a FIR lodged by 40- year old Ismail, Balmiki was an RSS activist, who had been frequenting the Muslim residents of Ved Nagar under the Sadar Bazar Police station area. He has been allegedly trying to convince them to go for the conversion in lieu of free rations through issue of BPL cards. He also promised to get voters’ card to all those who did not have one.
“After getting us to sign some forms, he asked us to attend a ‘havan-puja’ at the end of which he said that our names had been changed,” Ismail told the police. “It was only after he gave us the Hindu names that we realised that he had duped us into religious conversion,” he added.
The FIR was lodged under sections 153 (A) and 413 of the IPC, which deal with inciting communal hatred and forgery respectively.
While he was still at large, Ajju Chauhan a Bajrang Dal leader has claimed, “None was duped or forced into conversion.” According to him, “most of the Muslims living in Ved Nagar openly declared that their ancestors were Hindus and that a few generations back they were forced to adopt Islam; therefore they were now keen to return to the Hindu fold and we simply facilitated them with a conversion process. That’s all.”
However, the incident has created much tension not only in Agra but in several other communally sensitive areas of Uttar Pradesh, where the state had sounded an alert. Local cops have been told to keep an eye on mischief mongers who could take undue advantage of the situation and incite violence.
However no arrest has been made so far.
With inputs from PTI
Photographs: Sandeep Pal
