IANS By

CHENNAI: Eleven Christians - five men and six women - converted to Hinduism during a programme organised by the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) here Friday, said its leader.

"Despite the attempts by the city police to thwart the voluntary conversion to Hinduism, 11 Christians came back to their mother religion," HMK president Arjun Sampath told IANS.

He claimed as many as 162 people had come here to participate in the conversion programme though they had announced conversion of 108 people.

"However police stopped their vehicles and turned them away. Despite the police attempts to stop them, some people had reached the venue and embraced Hinduism," claimed Sampath.

He accused the Tamil Nadu government of preventing voluntary conversions to Hinduism and added that he would seek legal recourse.

"I have been kept under house arrest in Anna Nagar here since morning. Large numbers of police have been deployed outside the house where I am staying," Sampath said.

He said they first wanted to have the programme in the famed Triplicane Sri Parthasarathy temple but were denied permission. "The temple authorities refused permission in writing. The temple is administered by the government. When churches and mosques permit conversion, why not government-managed temples," Sampath said.

"Does the government think of Hindu temples as revenue generating organisations and nothing more," he asked.

With the permission denied by the Triplicane temple, HMK decided to have the conversion programme at a private temple in West Mambalam here.