1130 Christians converted to Hinduism in Mumbai

Over a thousand Christians were converted to Hinduism at a ceremonial function in Maharashtra's Mumbai.

According to a trusted source, about 1130 Christians adopted Hinduism during a function at Kalyan in the district of Thane.

The conversion was solemnised by Jagadguru Narendra Maharaj, a Hindu saint spearheading a religious campaign vying to reconvert Hindus as well as Dalits and tribal people into Hinduism.

The ceremony was held in the presence of thousand devotees who chanted hymns and indulged in ritualistic practices.

Jagadguru after the event told reporters that Christian missionaries are involving in massive conversions and most of the time "fraud, force and inducement" is applied to attract the gullible.

He argued that if this trend continues, Hindus would soon become minorities in their own land.

To counter this, he urged Hindu saints and organisations to conduct mass awakening programmes to balk Hindus from converting to other religion. This, he said, would be possible by inculcating the teachings and principles of Hinduism.

With elections round the corner, Jagadguru also appealed to Hindus to vote for a party that is concerned and will work for the welfare of the Hindu community.

He also opined that the government should give reservations to people with poor socio-economic status and not on the basis of religion.

Last year, the same April month over 1700 Christians were alleged to have converted to Hinduism in Borivili, Mumbai.

The event was held under the guidance of Sadguru Narendra Maharaj Sansthan who claims to have brought 42,220 people back into the Hindu fold till date, including 1,793 people on 27 April 2008.

The issue of 'conversion' has been the most controversial religious topic in India as thousands of innocent Hindus are urged to wage war on Christians on erroneous allegations.

Christians however continue to deny their involvement in forceful conversions, which they say is against the teachings of Christianity. They also point that the official Christian population in the country still remains stagnant at 2.5 per cent – the figure registered in the 1947 census.