Date:20/02/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/02/20/stories/2006022020310300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Protest against `conversion' leads to tension

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: There was tension for a while at Jayanti Grama in Hennur police station limits on Sunday following protests against a training centre, which is allegedly engaged in forceful conversion of the gypsies.

According to the police, nearly 50 people, who arrived at the Gypsy Works Fellowship Training Centre in Horamavu, alleged that the three-day religious congregation being organised by the training centre since Friday was to convert gypsies to Christianity. The protestors shouted slogans against the training centre and asked its management to stop the congregation.

Senior police officials intervened and arranged for a dialogue between the protestors and the training centre's management.

During the meeting, the management said the congregation had nothing to do with conversion.

It said the congregation was an annual event organised to make gypsies aware of their religious customs and it was the fifth such occasion in the city.

The demonstrators, not satisfied with the explanation, went ahead with their protest. It took more than an hour for the police to convince the protestors to disperse.

Condemned

The All India Banjara Seva Sangh has condemned the alleged act of conversion by the training centre.

It has sought the intervention of the State Government to stop such acts.

In a statement, the sangh has alleged that the training centre, which is run by Indian Gypsy Works Fellowship Trust, is being used to convert innocent Banjara youths to Christianity.

The training centre is engaged in conversion by conducting workshops, where the participants are made to read the Bible and other Christian texts, it alleged.

Today's workshop was one such attempt, the sangh alleged.