(Representative image)

Thiruvananthapuram: According to an intelligence report submitted to the state police chief seven months ago, and accessed by TOI, two 'recognised' religious conversion centres in Kozhikode and Malappuram converted as many as 5,793 people to Islam between 2011 and 2015. Conversions happening in unrecognised centres in the state could be much higher, fear top government officials who, for obvious reasons, didn't want to be named.

The report states that almost half of those who converted to Islam are women, and that the majority of these women (76%) are below 35 years. Of those converted, 4,719 were Hindus and the remaining 1,074 mostly Christian.

The conversions happened at Tharbiyathul Islam Sabha in Kozhikode and Monunsthil Islam Sabha at Ponnani, two traditional religious institutions in the state 'authorized' to convert people from other religions to Islam.

The police report, prepared in connection with the conversion of Nimisha alias Fathima -currently missing along with 20 others from the state and suspected to have joined Islamic State -says that a detailed inquiry is required to verify whether these conversions were under duress, whether there were enticements involved or were voluntary . "Inquiries are required to know whether this will affect the communal harmony , internal security of the state and nation. A detailed SSB (state special branch) inquiry in Kasaragod, Kannur, Alappuzha, Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad is recommended to unearth the details," the report, sent by then Kasaragod SP , A Srinivas, who probed the Nimisha case in November 2015, said.

