FIR against leaders behind Agra conversion
Battling fear and hunger, close to 300 Muslim slumdwellers from Devnagar locality in Agra are spending uneasy nights. Most of them are migrants from West Bengal and eke out a living by collecting garbage.
"Beti, koi darr toh nahi hai na, raat ko kuch hoga toh nahi," (We don't need not fear anything, do we? Nothing untoward will happen at night, right?) 80-year-old Sofia Begum asked this correspondent between sobs and prayers.
Battling fear and hunger, close to 300 Muslim slumdwellers from Devnagar locality in Agra are spending uneasy nights. Most of them are migrants from West Bengal and eke out a living by collecting garbage.
Three days ago, around 60 Muslim families from the slum area were 'reconverted' to Hinduism by the local Bajrang Dal and Dharma Jagran Samanvay Vibhag, an offshoot of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The 'ghar wapasi' ceremony has sparked widespread outrage after the slum dwellers claimed they were made to believe that they would be given BPL cards and had no idea that the plan was to 'reconvert' them.
On Wednesday, on the basis of a complaint filed by one Ismail against Kishore Valmiki over the alleged forced reconversion, the Sadar Bazaar Police filed an FIR and has launched an investigation. Kishore is the UP convener of Dharma Jagran Manch.
"We were asked to come dressed and the men were asked to wear their skull caps. Once we got there, they tied sacred threads on the men's wrists and started putting vermilion on our foreheads. They cajoled us to participate in a yajna. We thought that it was just a ceremony that we have to be a part of. Later, when we refused to follow their directions any further, they threatened us and forced us to participate," said Sharifa Begum.
"I would rather die than convert. I ask forgiveness from Allah, from my countrymen. I hope no one falls into this trap," said Muhammad Ibadul, another slum dweller who was 'reconverted' along with others. While some women said they refused to participate, others said they were tricked.
"Around 15 days ago, we were told that we will be given BPL cards and other subsidies along with a plot of land. We were told that there will be a ceremony where some prominent people and media would be invited. We didn't know what we were getting into," said 42-year-old Abdul Rehman Gazi.
Reacting to the alleged forced conversion, Samajwadi Party's Agra president Farrukh Siar said, "There are certain elements who are trying to create communal tensions. These people are poor and got tricked into it."
Ajju Chauhan of the Bajrang Dal claimed, "These people willingly participated and later even suggested new names for themselves. Now that other organisations are pressurising them, these people are scared to own up."
Taking a serious note of the incident, the state government has directed respective district police chiefs to check recurrence of such incident.
"The state's home department has taken a serious view of the reports of forced conversion in Agra," Home Secretary Kamal Saxena said today. IG (law and order) A. Satish Ganesh said the home department has also taken note of some media reports that a similar conversion ceremony has been planned in Aligarh on December 25.