310 Christians ‘reconverted’ to Hinduism in UP

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Persecution

PersecutionCHRISTIANS in the district of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh have been targeted by Hindu extremists who have reportedly “reconverted” 310 Christians back to Hinduism.

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) told AsiaNews that the incident occurred on October 26 and has become a trend among Christian regions in Uttar Pradesh. They reported that the Hindu groups have termed this ritual “returning home,” and this has been the third case in less than two months.

About 30 families were part of the reconversion, and each of these families had previously renounced Hinduism in the past four years. Local police reported their turn to Christianity had stirred up Hindu organizations in the region.

This incident occurred close to Diwali, India’s most popular Hindu holiday. AsiaNews reports that the Hindu organizations used this holiday to organize a conversion ceremony where they would “sacrifice” Bibles and recite Hindu prayers to complete the “returning home” ritual. Each Chrsitan also received a copy of the Bhagavad Gita from Hindu priests.

“Freedom of religion is our constitutional right. The underhanded methods used to reconvert innocent Christians to Hinduism are dangerous. The GCIC is concerned about the insecurity experienced by vulnerable Christian families. In Uttar Pradesh Hindu radicals using veiled threats to intimidate minority communities,” Sajan George, president of the GCIC said to AsiaNews.

The GCIC has previously pointed out that Hindu nationalism has been on the rise since President Narendra Modi was elected in June 2014, and the groups have acted violently toward Christians and other minorities.

It is reported that more than 600 attacks have occurred on both Muslims and Christians on the first 100 days of the new government. Hindu fundamentalists groups have targeted Christians and churches, mostly in the Uttar Pradesh state.

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