63 people reconverted to Hindusim in Kerala

Activists of Hindu outfits in Kerala coordinated religious reconversion programmes on Thursday with 63 people embracing Hinduism in two separate events held in Kottayam district.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Hindu Aikyavedi leaders had earlier claimed that about 200 people would reconvert to Hinduism on Christmas.

In Ponkunnam, 46 people from about 20 Christian families reconverted to Hinduism. The event was organised by a local VHP unit at the Puthiyakavu Devi Temple.

In another event held at a Krishna temple in Thirunakkara, 17 people reconverted to Hinduism, sources said. The reconverted families are from Ponkunnam, Vaikom and Kumarakom.

The state leadership of the VHP, however, remained non-committal on projecting the reconversions as part of the “ghar wapsi” (homecoming) programme launched by the outfit in other parts of the country.

The reconversions are coordinated by local Hindu groups and have no direct links with the VHP state unit, its leaders said.

More than 100 people have reconverted to Hinduism in Kerala since Sunday in events held at Kollam, Alappuzha and Kottayam districts in the presence of Hindu outfit leaders.
Local VHP leaders claimed that they were coordinating the reconversions based on requests reaching a Hindu helpline.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said on Wednesday that no forced religious conversions were being done in Kerala.