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This is an archive article published on December 18, 2014
Five of Bihar family embrace Christianity, BJP team to probe
Villagers allege EBC family was promised medical treatment if they converted; Cops say conversions common in the area.
Five members of a family belonging to an extremely backward caste last week converted to Christianity at Kahalgaon in Bihar’s Bhagalpur district. Though the family said they willingly accepted Christianity, villagers suspected they converted under “allurement of getting medical treatment”.
The BJP unit in Bihar would now send a fact-finding team to Kharaiah village under Buddhuchak police station to look into the conversion incident. BJP legislature party leader Sushil Kumar Modi told The Indian Express: “There must be a debate on conversion and a law like the one in Arunachal Pradesh to ensure that a government authority looks into instances of conversions. We are sending a team to Bhagalpur to know the truth. It is true that the number of churches and Christian missionaries has grown manifold in Bihar in the last decade, especially in central and north Bihar.”
Five members of the EBC Mandal family — Basudev Mandal, Radhe Mandal, Lalita Devi, Sunita Devi and Pawo Devi — converted to Christianity last week at a local church. All of them, in the age group of 50-65 years, are poor and suffer from some diseases.
Though the family refuted any allurement, fellow villagers alleged they were assured that their medical expenses would be borne if they turn Christians.
Kharaiah village headman Nishikant Mandal said: “Though we do not know the full truth, it is a matter of grave concern and fellow villagers have right to know what prompted them to leave their religion.”
The local police, however, said they have received no complaint of forced conversion. “Conversion is common in this area that adjoins tribal belts of Jharkhand,” said a police officer.
The Bihar BJP leader, however, said: “Though BJP as a party has nothing to do with conversion and sticks to development as outlined by PM Narendra Modi, there is need for debate on conversion.”
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Asked about his opinion of RSS-backed “ghar wapsi” events, he said: “First, some social organisations have taken up the matter. If some people were forcibly converted, it is up to them if they want to become Hindus again. There has to be some government authority to monitor whole process of conversion.”
Modi, however, asserted that most conversions from Hinduism to Christianity have been “through allurements or some economic or educational incentives or by obliging people in any other manner.”
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