Valsad (Dharampur): Around 400 tribal people who had been converted to Christianity reportedly returned to Hinduism during a ‘Prashn Margdarshan Mahotsav’ and Sadak Diksha programme held in Hanamatmal village of Dharampur taluka on Friday. The event was conducted in the presence of Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Narendracharya Maharaj.

The programme was organised in a field near Esurda Primary School in Hanamatmal village. According to the organisers, the initiative was part of a campaign aimed at countering religious conversion activities taking place in tribal belt areas of South Gujarat, particularly in Dharampur taluka.

Tribal residents from various parts of Valsad district, including Dharampur, Kaprada, Pardi and Vapi, as well as participants from neighbouring tribal areas of Dang, Vansda and border villages of Maharashtra, were present in large numbers at the event.

During the Sadak Diksha ceremony, the 400 participants formally renounced Christianity and were initiated back into Hindu religious practices in the presence of Jagadguru Narendracharya Maharaj and representatives of his sansthan.

Local organisers and village leaders expressed concern over what they described as “systematic conversion” of forest dwellers in tribal areas through inducements and temptations. They claimed that such activities had been ongoing for a long time in South Gujarat’s tribal belt.

Speaking at the event, organisers said that the programme was necessary to “protect” tribal communities from religious conversion and to bring back those who had converted earlier. They described the ceremony as an important step towards the “return and purification” of tribal people who had embraced Christianity in the past.

The programme concluded with religious rituals and community prayers, while local supporters hailed it as a significant cultural and spiritual initiative in the region. DeshGujarat