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OUR
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Bhopal, July 26: Bajrang Dal and VHP
activists today stormed a church during Sunday service,
saying people were being forcibly converted,before being
persuaded to leave by police who didn’t book them.
The raid on Assemblies of God Church in the heart of
Bhopal ended a lull in attacks on Christians in BJP-ruled
Madhya Pradesh, which has seen over 100 such incidents
during the party’s reign that began more than five years
ago.
Bajrang Dal leaders claimed that missionaries at the
church, in the Bittan Market area and only 100 metres
from the Habibganj police station, were trying to
“forcibly convert” two women.
But Kunti, one of the women at the centre of the
allegation, denied the claim, saying she had only come
for prayers. She said since most of her family members
had converted to Christianity, she decided to start
attending Sunday service.
Vinita, the other woman, also denied the allegation and
accused the attackers, numbering around 20, of being
ignorant of “customs.”
“They (Bajrang Dal-VHP) do not seem to know anything
about customs and traditions. I usually come to the
church for prayers on Sunday and will continue to do so.
We have nothing to do with religious conversions,”
Vinita said.
The Bajrang Dal, however, insisted a special ceremony
had been organised for the conversion of the two,
prompting an angry rebuttal from a senior church
official.
Abraham George, the secretary of Assemblies of God
Church, said: “They entered raising slogans that
conversions were taking place in the church. It is clear
they know nothing about Christianity and Sunday service.
In BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, we seem to have lost our
right to religion.”
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