GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 30

The Dharam Jagran Manch, the Sikh wing of the Rashtriya Swayam Sewak Sangh (RSS), organised a “Ghar Wapsi” (homecoming) event at Baba Jiwan Singh Gurdwara in Guru-ki-Wadali village (Chheharta) today. As many as 128 persons, who had embraced Christianity, were brought back into the fold of Sikhism. The Diocese of Amritsar has criticised the move, calling it forced conversions.

State planning chief of the Manch Dinesh Sharma said: “These are not conversions. It’s homecoming. They realised they had committed a blunder by abandoning their religion to adopt Christianity. We are just facilitating their return to their original religious fold,” he said. The SAD and the SGPC have distanced themselves from the event.

Manch co-convener Raj Kumar Judo said the SAD and SGPC were informed in advance about the event, but none of their representatives turned up.

SGPC secretary Dalmegh Singh said they had no information about the event or its organisers. “We have nothing to do with it. The gurdwara where the event was held was not under the SGPC. We strongly oppose forced religious conversions,” he said.

Jagtar Singh Mann, vice-president of SAD’s district unit, who was seen at the venue with his supporters for a few minutes, objected to organising any such event. “We are not in support of this conversion programme and I even doubt the authenticity of the families who were to adopt Sikhism,” he said.

Head priest of gurdwara Baba Manjit Singh, on whose behalf the programme was organised, also refrained from being directly involved in the event after the arrival of SAD supporters. “I am here to look after the langar (community kitchen) preparations and have nothing to do with the main event,” he said.

Dinesh Sharma alleged the Azad Mission sect had been inveigling residents of Majha and Doaba to adopt Christianity. Around 700 poor families had made Ghar Wapsi this year in Amritsar district alone, he claimed.

Criticising the move, Diocese of Amritsar Daniel B Dass said it was nothing but an undemocratic way of forcing people to adopt a particular religion. Around 23 families of Guru ki Wadali village reconverted to Sikhism today. Bhai Balwinder Singh (Anandpur Sahib), Bhai Malkiat Singh (Sultanwind), Bhai Dawinder Singh (Meerakot) and Bhai Paramjit Singh (Guru Ki Wadali) performed path and presented them with holy books, siropas (robe of honour) and amulets.

Raj Kumar (earlier Raj Masih), a Christian priest who reconverted to Hinduism around four years ago, said missionaries lured the poor and downtrodden by promising them better health care, education and jobs abroad, if they embraced Christianity. Jasbir Singh (earlier Gora Masih) said he was reconverting to Sikhism after four years. “I was pained when Christian preachers asked us to remove photos of Gurus from our homes. Later, I decided to adopt Sikhism again,” he said.