TRIPURA, INDIA, December 8, 2002: Tribal Hindus in Tripura have formed vigilante groups, claiming militants are attempting to convert people at gunpoint to Christianity. Rampada Jamatia, a leader of the Jamatia tribal community, said that the forced conversions were being carried out by the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). “We believe up to 5,000 tribal villagers were coerced into converting to Christianity by the NLFT during the past couple of years,” Jamatia said in Jirania, 25 kilometers east of Agartala. Community chiefs and religious heads of 19 tribes met recently and formed a platform called the Tribal Culture Protection Committee to counter the militant threat. “The committee will discuss ways and means on how best to tackle the threat to our religion and culture, besides lobbying the local government to ensure protection for the religious rights of the tribes people,” said tribal chieftain Bikram Bahadur Jamatia.
A daily summary of world news for Hindus and non-Hindus alike