Team News Riveting
Jagdalpur, January 6
Even as Bastar continues to boil over the issue of religious conversion of tribals, a family in Bastar that embraced Christianity over two decades ago returned to its parent Hindu religion on Friday.
Some 22 years ago, the Baghel family staying in Biti Para in Kilepal of Bastar district was converted to Christianity. They were staying in the same village. On Thursday, there was a bereavement in the family that left the members in a fix over cremation. While the panchayat denied to provide space, the crematorium in the town also refused citing limited available space for burial.
The villagers raised strong protest over burial in the village that created tension. Sensing the incident in Narayanpur, additional force was deployed in the village to prevent any untoward incident. The members of Baghel family talked to the villagers to find an amicable solution.
The villagers were adamant and said they were helpless as space in the village cannot be provided for burial as no such provision had been made in land record. They said the deceased could be cremated with full honour in the Hindu crematorium in the village if they reconvert to Hinduism. The Baghel family gave their consent at a meeting convened by the members of the samaj and returned to Hinduism.
The villagers later cremated the body with Hindu rituals and full honour. According to the villagers, a distant relative of the family had also followed the suit and returned to Hindu religion after the death of his father.
Sources said the lack of space for burial had flared up tension in the villages leaving the converted Christians in the lurch. While there is no provision of space in the tribal predominate for burial, the missionaries owning crematorium in the town places are reluctant to allow the converted Christians from tribal communities to bury their dear-ones. They fear running out of space in future even as religious conversion in the tribal communities of Bastar has intensified.
The activities of Christian missionaries had escalated tension in the villages that resulted in Monday’s incident in Narayanpur where irked tribals ransacked a church and attacked a police party injuring the Superintendent of Police, Sadanand Kumar.
