The intelligence wing of the State Police Department has alerted on the possibility of a communal eruption in the tribal belts of Attappadi, Palakkad, due to the alleged conversion activities of Christian missionaries and the possibility of Hindu organisations raking up the issue.
As many as seven Christian sects are active in the area and a single sect alone operates 14 churches, one meditation centre and two guest houses, a report prepared by the wing claimed, adding that a large number of Church-run schools, dispensaries and hospitals are functioning in Attappadi.
“Squads of missionaries visit hamlets on a daily basis to lure tribals to their sect. Pentecostal pastors regularly visit and distribute pamphlets in the hamlets of Osathiyoor, Pothupadi, Kadambara, Melekandiyoor, Keeripathi and Anakatti,” the report stated.
The two-page report added that some churches bring tribals to meditation centres, once a week, to attract them to the faith. “Converted persons are used as agents to lure others. Also, the missionaries distribute food and clothes among them to attract the poor residing in the 192 hamlets”, the report stated and added that the proactive missionaries are creating troubles in tribal hamlets. “In a hamlet called Keeripathi, a pastor named Natarajan publicly damaged the images of Hindu gods which stoked communal tension in the area. Such incidents have forced some tribal chieftains to ban entry of pastors to their hamlets”, the report, submitted to the Home Secretary, stated.
There is meticulous planning involved in these activities, as the tribal folks are converted without any change in their official documents to avoid losing government benefits. A residential school run by the missionaries in the area makes the children follow Christian rituals, resulting in the alienation of tribal culture, the report added.