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NCM did not find any evidence of forcible conversion

The National Commission for Minorities has not found any evidence of conversion through the use of force or allurement by Christian missionaries, commission Vice-Chairman Bawa Singh has said.

He said this last evening when a delegation of Christians met him and submitted a memorandum alleging certain fundamentalist elements were threatening them with dire consequences on the false pretext of forcible conversions.

He said the commission will submit to the Centre its final inquiry report on the recent attacks on Christians in Gujarat by the month-end, Commission Vice-Chairman Bawa Singh said today.

Addressing the media, he said that the commission members would meet President K R Narayanan on February 1 with certain recommendations for the safety and protection of the minorities in the country.

Singh said that the commission had already submitted its interim report on the Gujarat incidents to Union Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani on January 13.

He said that commission was of the opinion that the anti-Christian attacks in Gujarat were made in an organised manner with the connivance of certain frontal organisations and that the state government had failed to protect the minority community.

According to Professor Singh, the commission had also looked into the incidents that took place in Gujarat in August last year and had submitted its report in this regard to the Union home ministry.

A copy of the same was also provided to the Gujarat government along with certain guidelines, he said. If the Gujarat government had acted upon these guidelines, such repeated incidents of attacks on missionary institutions could have been averted, he added.

Admitting that Christians in Gujarat were feeling insecure, he said the commission, in its final report, would include certain more effective steps for safeguarding the minorities.

Professor Singh said the commission had suggested that all the states set up minority commissions so that the commission could take effective steps to solve the problems of minorities at the earliest.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
'Sangh Parivar forcibly reconverted tribals'

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