KOLKATA: Hindu extremist organisations have started to forcibly convertIndian Muslims towards Hinduism.
14 Muslims of a family were converted to Hinduism by radical organisationHindu Samhati at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in central Kolkata on Wednesday.
Journalists of several media outlets were attacked by Hindu Samhati memberswhen they questioned the circumstances under which the 14 members of thefamily of Hossain Ali, which included several children, were converted intoHinduism and whether they were forcibly converted.
It was earlier announced during the event that media won’t be allowed tospeak with the members of the converted family.
Speaking on the occasion of the foundation day of the organisation onWednesday, Hindu Samhati chief Tapan Ghosh said that the 14 people wereundertaking ‘ghar waapsi’ and more such conversion programmes would beopenly held in different parts of West Bengal. Ghosh was detained by thepolice soon after the event.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the attacked and saidthat strict action would be taken against the accused. Bengal BJP chiefDilip Ghosh distanced the saffron party from Hindu Samhati and condemnedthe attack.
Left Front leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Hindu Samhati vented theirfrustration by attacking media as they had no answers to their queries.
On the other hand, Municipal Affairs and Urban Development minister FirhadHakim, one of the top Muslim faces of the ruling party, compared HinduSamhati with extremist organisation.
“It is unconstitutional to attack journalists and spread religious hatred.Hindu Samhati is bringing bad name to Hinduism. They neither have Hinduismnor have samhati (assent). Strict action would be taken against them,” hesaid.
Information Technology minister Bratya Basu expressed confidence that‘conversion politics’ won’t work in West Bengal by referring to the burningof Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines in Odisha. “If they thinkthat they can bring the culture of burning Graham Staines in MamataBanerjee’s West Bengal, they are living in a fool’s paradise,” he said.
Formed in 2008 by Tapan Ghosh, Hindu Samhati website states that it is aNon-Governmental Organisation (NGO). The organisation claims that it stoodbeside Hindus in every major communal violence in the state and hasorganisational strength in 12 of the 23 districts and can influence votesin 80 of the 294 Assembly seats of the state.