Conversion allegations force US tourists to leave

Three American tourists have been asked to leave India following complaints from Hindu organisations that they were attempting to convert locals to Christianity in Alappuzha district, Kerala.

According to the police, the three tourists were asked to quit because they had allegedly violated the tourist visa rules by trying to attend organized group activities and meetings.

The police took action after complaints from Hindu organisations that the three were allegedly trying to convert people by inducements.

However, the district SP Ashok Kumar told the Times of India that no evidence was found indicating that the three US women were engaged in conversion activities. He told the paper that they were only to attend religious prayer sessions.

Kumar informed that their visit visas did not permit them to attend any organized meeting including prayer sessions. "We were not clear about their intentions. That is why we asked them to leave the country," he was quoted saying.

An advocacy group meanwhile has condemned the police action and criticised Hindutva groups for spreading allegations of forced conversions against Christians.

"The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) condemns the double standards of the New Age Group of Hindus and selective arrests by the police in Kerala," the group said in a statement on the website.

"The irony of the whole thing is that the very New Age Hindutva Group, which has complained against the Americans, we understand, are very much themselves engaged in large scale propagation of Hinduism in USA," GCIC said.