Aligarh Muslim University Union asks Home Minister Rajnath Singh to ban Ghar Vapasi

NEW DELHI: Tension is rising in Aligarh ahead of the 'Ghar Vapasi' Programme of the RSS on Christmas Day as the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union (AMUSU) has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh asking him to ban the said event as it can create communal tensions there.
"We request the concerned authorities to establish law and order and prevent any incidents that could pave ways for another Gujarat and Muzaffarnagar. Students at Aligarh Muslim University are seriously concerned about these conversions and hence request your authority to take urgent action in this case by banning these events in the public interest," AMUSU President Abdullah Azzam has written in a letter to the Home Minister. He added that the Uttar Pradesh Government "has failed to act", so it is the demand of AMUSU that the event be banned and no person or organization be allowed to create communal tension in the name of “Ghar Wapsi”.

The RSS plans to convert 4000 Christian and 1000 Muslim families into Hinduism on December 25 in Aligarh, in the biggest such conversion program. The AMUSUS says extremist outfits have no right to forcibly convert Muslims and Christians; "instead they should allow the freedom of religion to prevail", the letter has said.

"The entire nation is shocked by the forced conversions of Muslims into Hinduism in Uttar Pradesh's Agra district and the continuous efforts by RSS and its affiliate organizations to set the communal tensions on fire in the name of “Ghar Wapsi”. These conversions are forced and an exploitation of the financial weakness of certain sections of the society and are highly condemnable. The plans of the said organizations to have similar events at Aligarh and Lucknow, are a serious concern and a threat to the peace and security of the nation," the AMUSU has written to the Home Minister. The letter adds that issue of religious conversion is something that should be the sole discretion of an individual, using his/ her rationale, and in no way should be carried out through "threat, intimidation or temptation".

"The shame in the case is that these events are in total violation of the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution as herein the freedom of conscience is being manipulated and conversions are being made by promising benefits and privileges. It hurts the freedom to choose the religion and thus damages the very purpose of being free in India. The reports of fund generation and its illegal utilization for conversion have already made the news and hence needs to be acted against seriously," the AMUSU has written, adding that it shall resist all "divisive attempts" directed at passing the Anti- Conversion Law.