Conversion slur on Tripura church

AGARTALA, January 28: Allegations have been levelled against the Baptist Church in the state that it is forcibly trying to convert Hindu tribal students in schools run by it. The Baptist Church authorities in Khumlung have allegedly made it incumbent upon Hindu tribal students in a school near the headquarters of the autonomous district council to attend regular prayer sessions in a nearby church. With this allegation, the growing religious conflict between the National Liberation Front of Twipra and the Hindu resistance groups over the issue of forced conversion drive by militants has taken a new turn. The NLFT is backed by the Church. The guardian of a student of the residential school said on condition of anonymity that his son and other students of the school were being "virtually forced" to attend prayer sessions at the church in Khumlung. He said, "We tribals have our traditional religious faiths and practices akin to Hinduism in many ways and this is very unfair on the part of school authorities to force underaged children to attend prayer sessions at the church." He further alleged, "Their basic purpose is probably to convert all students to Christianity." Sources at Khumlung, the headquarters of the autonomous district council, named ADC executive member (education) Sridam Debbarma as "one of the patrons" of the move. However, Sridam Debbarma, when contacted over telephone, described the allegation as "completely false and malicious," asserting that he was a professional politician and not a religious preacher keen to convert or reconvert people. "India is a secular country and anyone can pursue or practise the religious faith of his choice and I have absolutely nothing to do with it," he said. Debbarma added that he was already overburdened with his political and administrative work and there was absolutely no question of thinking of such peripheral issues. But official sources from Khumlung alleged that the authorities of Khumlung's "Tanki Bazar Baptist Church" are engaged in persuading poor tribal students belonging to the impoverished jhumia (shifting cultivator) families to visit the church every Sunday and attend prayer sessions. The Khumpui Academy High School had been set up by the ADC authorities, when a coalition of the Congress and the Tripura Upajati Juba Samity was in control of the district council, mainly to impart free education to poor tribal students in the English medium. It than 500 students, half of whom are converted Christians. Besides, there were largescale financial irregularities in the school, sources alleged. The guardian of the students have brought the matter to the notice of the ADC authorities but no action has been taken so far.