An organised campaign to forcibly convert Christian tribals to Hinduism is underway in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, a report by a fact-finding team has said.
The fact-finding team visited the affected areas about a week ago to look into the recent troubles that erupted there.
The report has recommended legal action against the perpetrators of a series of attacks on Christian tribals in 18 villages in Narayanpur and 15 in Kondagaon districts in Bastar region that took place between December 9 and 18.
“A special investigation team should also be constituted under the supervision of either the Supreme Court or the high court to investigate the offences committed on Christian Adivasis,” the team suggested.
Following the attacks, the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) in association with the All India People’s Forum, All India Lawyers Association for Justice and United Christians Forum formed a four-member fact-finding team that toured the affected areas during December 22-24.
The team comprising CSSS director Irfan Engineer, senior journalist Ashok Verma, Nicholas Bara from the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and AIPF convener in Chhattisgarh Brijendra Tiwari visited the villages and spoke to residents belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs besides district officials and the police.
“The Christian Adivasis were asked to denounce their faith and convert to Hinduism failing which they would have to leave their villages and face consequences,” the report said, adding many of them were severely beaten with sticks and about 24 of them were hospitalised.
While many among the thousand Christian tribals who had to leave their villages were put up in shelter camps, others were left in the open, the report said.
The report cited cases of forcible conversion. Manglu Koram of Madamnar village told the team he along with 21 Christian families were taken to a tihad (temple) where the priest conducted some rituals and declared them Hindus. Eighteen families from Udidgaon and three families each from Fulhadgaon and Putanchandagaon were similarly converted, it added.
