Journalism of Courage
To expedite “ghar wapsi” programmes — on hold in western UP and Uttarakhand after a controversy erupted over one such event organised in Agra in December last year — the RSS has a appointed a new in-charge for its unit Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag’s Pashim Kshetra (western region).
Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag organises “ghar wapsi” programmes to facilitate reconversion of converted Muslims and Christians to Hindu religion. It also organises awareness programmes for Hindus to prevent conversion to other religion and bring back converted persons to Hinduism.
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The RSS has made senior pracharak Eishwar Dayal the in-charge of Pachim Kshetra. The post was lying vacant after Rajeshwar Singh was removed last December following the Agra event on December 8. Dharma Jagran office-bearer Nand Kishore Valmiki was arrested for facilitating alleged conversion of 57 Muslim families in that event.
The Agra event was organised under Rajeshwar’s supervision, who has now been accommodated in the Paschim Kshetra working committee as a member. Rajeshwar has been associated with RSS as a pracharak since 1971 and was in-charge of Dharma Jagran in western UP and Uttarakhand for the last few years.
Eishwar Dayal is a full-time RSS worker who had joined the outfit in 1978 and become pracharak in 1992. Since 2010, Dayal was in-charge of Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag for Meerut Prant and was recently promoted as in-charge of same wing for Paschim Kshetra.
When contacted, Dayal — also an astrologer — said he has started executing the responsibility given by the organisation. However, he refused to divulge details of his upcoming programmes.
Sources, meanwhile, said Dayal plans a series of ghar wapsi programmes in other regions under his jurisdiction. While RSS has decided Agra will be his centre of operation, Dayal has requested it to be changed to Mathura. He belongs to Hapur and has served as vibhag prcharak in Saharanpur and Bijnor districts in the past.
After the Agra controversy, Dharma Jagran Samanway Vibhag had to cancel similar events planned by then in-charge Rajeshwar in Aligarh on December 25. Nearly 400 muslims from Bulandshahr, Aligarh, Mathura, Hathras, Etah, Agra and Badaun were supposed to be reconverting to Hindu religion in the event.
“The activities of Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag were stopped after the Agra controversy. Now, with a senior person who has such a long experience of working in Dharma Jagran, we plan a series of programmes to create awareness among Hindus to prevent conversion and bring back converted Hindus to their parental religion,” said a Dharma Jagran worker in Aligarh.
“But we have been directed to be careful this time and avoid any controversy that can draw criticism for the Modi government,” he added.
