Bhopal, India - A probe panel has found as baseless and unfounded the allegation that tribals are being forcibly converted to Christianity in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh.
The probe panel comprised journalist Lajja Shankar Herdenia, CPI state secretariat member Anand Pande and Father Anand Muttungal, spokesperson of the Catholic Church of Madhya Pradesh.
The panel extensively toured Jhabua district for three days from July 19 to 21. During its visit, the panel met representatives of Hindu organisations, Christian missionaries, office-bearers of political parties, government officials and social workers. Besides Jhabua, the panel visited Alirajpur, Meghnagar, Aamkoot, Jobat and scores of small villages and hamlets in the district. The panel visited several government schools and government hospitals to make an assessment of their functioning. The panel also visited the schools and hospitals run by the missionaries.
Almost all the persons the panel met unanimously denied that tribals were being forcibly converted to Christianity. Even Arun Bhatt, who handed over the charge of the Collector of Jhabua on July 19, said that the allegation was not true. Mahesh Agarwal, the well-known pointsman of Hindu organizations who has been leading the campaign against conversions in Jhabua, admitted that many tribals, impressed by the medical services and other services being provided by the missionaries, were embracing Christianity.
But even he ruled out any role of coercion or force in conversions. Similar views were aired by young BJP leader and vice chairman of Alirajpur municipal corporation Pintoo Jaiswal. He said that there was absolutely no basis in the allegation that coercion or inducement was being used to convert tribals. He said that while Hindus were hesitant to "even touch" the tribals, the missionaries readily "embraced" them and served them in every way. The missionaries play a key role in providing services to the tribals. Jaiswal said that even his children were studying in Christian missionary schools. "My children have never complained that any attempt was ever made to convert either them or any of their friends to Christianity", Jaiswal said.
During its visit, the panel also elicited the views of the people about findings of the Narendra Prasad committee. Not a single person approved of the findings of the report in its totality. However, many people did complain that they did not come to know of the committee's visits to the district. Others complained that the report was silent on the violent and provocative attacks on Christians by the Hindu organisations. They denied that the missionaries were engaged in any sort of anti-national activities. It was pointed out by many that it was primarily due to the vigorous efforts of the missionaries that the literacy percentage among tribal Christians was upwards of 80. "Is it anti-national to serve the sick and make people literate?", a social worker asked.
The probe panel asked several Christian missionaries as to why they did not present their side of the story before the Narendra Prasad committee. The reply was that they were not allowed to meet the committee. The activists of Hindu organisations did not allow the missionaries to enter the places where the committee held its meetings. Especially, the Christians who were victims of the atrocities of Hindu organisations were not allowed to meet the committee.