Tension over religious conversions has started in Tamil Nadu, with many incidents in the past month showing the problems between Hindu groups and Christian missionaries.
Hindu Munnani, a prominent Hindu nationalist organisation, has been at the forefront of these confrontations in Perambalur and Tirunelveli districts.
On August 22, 2024, members of Hindu Munnani prevented Christian missionaries from distributing sweets and Bibles to schoolchildren near Perambalur Government Higher Secondary School and the District HQ Hospital.
The Hindu group claims the missionaries were attempting to lure the children into conversion. According to the media reports, a tweet was posted on Hindu Munnani’s official X account, there have been increasing incidents of forced Christian conversions in the Perambalur region.
Hindu Munnani representatives who were passing by noticed the missionaries distributing religious materials to students on their way to school. The missionaries allegedly responded with threats when Hindu activist confronted.
Video footage shared by Hindu Munnani shows one of the missionaries opening a car filled with boxes of Bibles, attempting to distribute them before being confronted by the activists.
One Hindu Munnani functionary said, ‘You are going door to door distributing books, and we are continuously stopping you’. The situation escalated when the missionaries attempted to flee the scene, prompting more Hindu Munnani members to gather. The incident has raised questions about police actions and religious tolerance in the region.
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