Chitradurga: All Conversions To Christianity 'Voluntary’, Concludes Inquiry Report, Dismissing Allegations By MLA Of Use Of Force

Dismissing all ‘allegations’ of ‘forceful conversions in two villages of Karnataka’s Chitradurga, the district administration has submitted an inquiry-based report, which concludes that all of them were ‘voluntary’.

As reported by The Indian Express, Chitradurga Deputy Commissioner Kavitha said that the administration found that there were no forceful conversions in the two villages — one each in Srirampura Hobli and Madadakere Hobli.

This inquiry was in response to a complaint about forced conversions, and officers led by Tahsildar T Thippeswamy are said to have found that all 42 families in the two villages had converted to the ‘new faith out of their own volition’.

Interestingly, as quoted by Times of India, Thippeswamy said the ”families claimed their conversion was on account of a string of health issues and other constraints that drew them to Christianity.”

The converted families are said to have told the authorities that “they are in a much better place now and believe the new faith is the reason for their well-being”.

The issue was raised after MLA Gulihatty Shekhar had brought up the topic of conversion in the Assembly on September 21 and a month later kickstarted the ‘ghar wapsi’ campaign by ensuring his own mother, who had converted to Christianity, returns to Hinduism.

Shekhar had recently alleged that around 20,000-25,000 people from various communities in the taluk had been converted to Christianity. Shekhar has also highlighted issues about the availing of facilities and benefits provided to various scheduled caste communities and nomadic tribes by the converted Christians.

In a Facebook post, he had shared a letter written by residents of Marutinagar in his constituency who highlighted the Sunday conversion activities of the missionaries, details of those who had obtained government jobs and various other facilities under quotas reserved for scheduled castes and sought that action be taken against the same.

Meanwhile, protests and objections to the proposed anti-conversion bill in the state are only gaining momentum. Archbishop of Bangalore Rev Dr Peter Machado called the bill that is likely to be introduced in the next Karnataka legislature session in Belagavi a ‘shame on the secular principles outlined by the Indian Constitution’, as reported.