Agra Conversions

At her home in Uttar Pradesh's Agra, Sushila Chauhan is now recounting every word spoken during her telephonic conversation with her son on Tuesday night.

With just a day to go before this session of Parliament ends, the Rajya Sabha or Upper House remained paralyzed today, with the opposition confronting the government over what it described as "an unacceptable agenda" of trying to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism.

A united opposition today said the government is following "an unacceptable agenda" of trying to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. In the Rajya Sabha or Upper House, which was paralysed all of last week over the controversy, opposition leaders again demanded a statement from the Prime Minister.

A team of Uttar Pradesh State Minorities Commission which was in Agra to look into the recent conversion of 57 Muslim families to Hinduism by right wing groups has concluded that it was in fact a 'betrayal and not conversion'.

A united opposition confronted the government in Parliament today over a huge controversy over mass conversions to Hinduism.

The saffron plans to hold a big conversion ceremony in Aligarh on December 25 was put on the backburner late this evening - hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned his MPs not to overstep the "Laxman Rekha" with their controversial comments.

Nine opposition parties united against the government in Parliament and demanded a statement today from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on religious conversions, a controversy that has stalled all work since a mass ceremony held last week in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

It wants to push for an anti-conversion law, writes Pawan Khera.

Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik today stepped into his second political controversy in less than a week as he appeared to support religious conversions and used the example of BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has said it would not allow the conversion ceremony being planned in Aligarh on December 25. The event is to be sponsored by Dharam Jagran Samanvyay Vibhag, and BJP Parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath has announced his intention to attend it.

Stirring a new controversy in the middle of a row over religious conversions, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has said a Ram temple should be built at the disputed Babri mosque site in Ayodhya and "it is the wish of Indian citizens."

While the Uttar Pradesh police tried unsuccessfully today to locate a man called Kishore Valmiki, named in an FIR or police complaint filed against the alleged conversion of 57 Muslim families to Hinduism in Agra, a controversial letter surfaced in Aligarh, about 90 km away.

During a debate on religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh, union minister Venkaiah Naidu's announcement that he was proud of his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS - the BJP's ideological mentor - sparked sharp protests in Parliament.

A massive row over religious conversions hit work in Parliament today as the opposition raised slogans in Parliament, forcing adjournments. After a meeting called by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, the government accepted the opposition's demand for a discussion on conversions.

Religious conversion was far from the minds of Agra's 50-odd couples when they turned up for a small ceremony conducted by the Bajrang Dal on Monday. And now that they have been declared Hindus, not much has changed. Except maybe a name.

At her home in Uttar Pradesh's Agra, Sushila Chauhan is now recounting every word spoken during her telephonic conversation with her son on Tuesday night.

With just a day to go before this session of Parliament ends, the Rajya Sabha or Upper House remained paralyzed today, with the opposition confronting the government over what it described as "an unacceptable agenda" of trying to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism.

A united opposition today said the government is following "an unacceptable agenda" of trying to convert Muslims and Christians to Hinduism. In the Rajya Sabha or Upper House, which was paralysed all of last week over the controversy, opposition leaders again demanded a statement from the Prime Minister.

A team of Uttar Pradesh State Minorities Commission which was in Agra to look into the recent conversion of 57 Muslim families to Hinduism by right wing groups has concluded that it was in fact a 'betrayal and not conversion'.

A united opposition confronted the government in Parliament today over a huge controversy over mass conversions to Hinduism.

The saffron plans to hold a big conversion ceremony in Aligarh on December 25 was put on the backburner late this evening - hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned his MPs not to overstep the "Laxman Rekha" with their controversial comments.

Nine opposition parties united against the government in Parliament and demanded a statement today from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on religious conversions, a controversy that has stalled all work since a mass ceremony held last week in Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

It wants to push for an anti-conversion law, writes Pawan Khera.

Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik today stepped into his second political controversy in less than a week as he appeared to support religious conversions and used the example of BR Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution.

The Uttar Pradesh Police has said it would not allow the conversion ceremony being planned in Aligarh on December 25. The event is to be sponsored by Dharam Jagran Samanvyay Vibhag, and BJP Parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath has announced his intention to attend it.

Stirring a new controversy in the middle of a row over religious conversions, Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik has said a Ram temple should be built at the disputed Babri mosque site in Ayodhya and "it is the wish of Indian citizens."

While the Uttar Pradesh police tried unsuccessfully today to locate a man called Kishore Valmiki, named in an FIR or police complaint filed against the alleged conversion of 57 Muslim families to Hinduism in Agra, a controversial letter surfaced in Aligarh, about 90 km away.

During a debate on religious conversions in Uttar Pradesh, union minister Venkaiah Naidu's announcement that he was proud of his association with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS - the BJP's ideological mentor - sparked sharp protests in Parliament.

A massive row over religious conversions hit work in Parliament today as the opposition raised slogans in Parliament, forcing adjournments. After a meeting called by Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, the government accepted the opposition's demand for a discussion on conversions.

Religious conversion was far from the minds of Agra's 50-odd couples when they turned up for a small ceremony conducted by the Bajrang Dal on Monday. And now that they have been declared Hindus, not much has changed. Except maybe a name.