Hindu group disrupts Christmas meet in Pataudi, allege conversion bid
A video shared on social media showed some persons chanting Jai Shri Ram at the meeting on the occasion of Christmas in Gurugram’s Pataudi. No police complaint has been lodged by any group.
A Christmas congregation at a primary school in Pataudi in Haryana’s Gurugram district was disrupted by a Hindu group claiming that the gathering was an attempt at religious conversion.
A video shared on social media showed some persons chanting Jai Shri Ram at the Christian meeting while a man snatched the microphone from a woman signing a devotional song. Police made no arrests, saying no complaint was made.
The House of Hope, a social organisation, organized a Christmas Milan at a private school in Pataudi to celebrate the day through song, dance and teachings of the Bible, local residents said on condition of anonymity. Children and women had gathered for the event, when a group of men barged inside the hall and stopped the programme, they said.
“Two days ago, some women reached out to residents and invited them for the Christmas programme,” said RP Pandey, president of Dharam Jagriti Mission, the Hindu organisation. “Through songs and prayer, they promote their religion and pollute the minds of children about sanatan dharma.”
The programme was an attempt to lure the poor and convert them to Christianity, Pandey alleged.
The event was organised in his “personal capacity” by a local resident, who is a member of the House of Hope, the pastor of the organisation said, asking not to be named. “We were present when this unfortunate incident took place,” he said. “They started shouting slogans and stopped the event.”
“We are not going to file any complaint,” the pastor said, also requesting that the name of the school is not revealed.
Police have not received any complaint from any group, said inspector Shailender Kumar, station house officer of Pataudi police station.
The incident comes on the heels of regular disruption of Friday prayers by Muslims by Hindu groups in Gurugram.