Class 12 students of St Joseph School in Ganj Basoda in Vidhisha district of Madhya Pradesh were writing their Maths paper on 6 December. But little did they expect to find their school under attack in the middle of their exam.

Based on an allegation about eight students being converted into Christianity in a conversion drive, members of Hindutva groups including the VHP gheraoed the school around noon that day.

Video footage from the school show a mob of around 300-500 people chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' and ‘Missionaries Murdabad’, outside the school gate. Some miscreants who managed to get inside the school were seen to be pelting stones at the building and vandalising school property.


Although it's been a week since the actual incident happen, why we are talking about it now is because unfortunately this kind of an attack against the Christian minority is not a one-off event.

It is becoming a grotesque pattern with churches being frequently ransacked across the country and prayer meetings being disrupted by Hindutva mobs on mere suspicions of "forced religious conversions".

The dangerous rhetoric around conversions is sometimes also getting abetted by elected governments in states like BJP-ruled Karnataka who are giving credence to such sentiments with anti-conversion law proposals. 

But are anti-conversion laws constitutional? Are religious conversions all illegal? Is the freedom to practice one's faith fast diminishing in India? 

In this episode, you will hear voices from ground zero – of teachers, parents, VHP leaders – to piece together what really happened at St Joseph's, where these suspicions of forced conversions are stemming from and how are people responding to the allegations. We'll also be joined by our legal editor Vakasha Sachdev.

Host and Producer: Shorbori Purkayastha
Editor: Shelly Walia
Music: Big Bang Fuzz
References:
MP School Vandalised: Priest Calls Conversion 'Fake News', Staff Recalls Horror
Despite Anti-Christian Hysteria, Not All Religious Conversions Are Illegal
How UP’s "Love Jihad" Ordinance is Detached from Facts
Another Dubious Church 'Survey': Karnataka BJP Govt Tracing 'Christian Converts'
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<div>Class 12 students of St Joseph School in Ganj Basoda in Vidhisha district of Madhya Pradesh were writing their Maths paper on 6 December. But little did they expect to find their school under attack in the middle of their exam.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>Based on an allegation about eight students being converted into Christianity in a conversion drive, members of Hindutva groups including the VHP gheraoed the school around noon that day.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>Video footage from the school show a mob of around 300-500 people chanting 'Jai Shri Ram' and ‘Missionaries Murdabad’, outside the school gate. Some miscreants who managed to get inside the school were seen to be pelting stones at the building and vandalising school property.<br>
<br>
Although it's been a week since the actual incident happen, why we are talking about it now is because unfortunately this kind of an attack against the Christian minority is not a one-off event.<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>It is becoming a grotesque pattern with churches being frequently ransacked across the country and prayer meetings being disrupted by Hindutva mobs on mere suspicions of "forced religious conversions".<br>
<br>

</div>
<div>The dangerous rhetoric around conversions is sometimes also getting abetted by elected governments in states like BJP-ruled Karnataka who are giving credence to such sentiments with anti-conversion law proposals. <br>
<br>

</div>
<div>But are anti-conversion laws constitutional? Are religious conversions all illegal? Is the freedom to practice one's faith fast diminishing in India? <br>
<br>

</div>
<div>In this episode, you will hear voices from ground zero – of teachers, parents, VHP leaders – to piece together what really happened at St Joseph's, where these suspicions of forced conversions are stemming from and how are people responding to the allegations. We'll also be joined by our legal editor Vakasha Sachdev.<br>
<br>
<strong>Host and Producer:</strong> Shorbori Purkayastha<br>
<strong>Editor: </strong>Shelly Walia</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>
<strong>Music:</strong> Big Bang Fuzz</div>
<div>
<br>
<strong>References:</strong><br>
<a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/mp-school-vandalised-priest-calls-conversion-fake-news-teachers-recall-horror#read-more#read-more">MP School Vandalised: Priest Calls Conversion 'Fake News', Staff Recalls Horror</a><br>
<a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/anti-conversion-bill-church-survey-karnataka-bjp-govt-probed-homes-to-find-christian-converts">Despite Anti-Christian Hysteria, Not All Religious Conversions Are Illegal</a><br>
<a href="https://audioboom.com/posts/7737668-how-up-s-love-jihad-ordinance-is-detached-from-facts">How UP’s "Love Jihad" Ordinance is Detached from Facts</a><br>
<a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/anti-conversion-bill-church-survey-karnataka-bjp-govt-probed-homes-to-find-christian-converts">Another Dubious Church 'Survey': Karnataka BJP Govt Tracing 'Christian Converts'</a>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><strong>Listen to The Big Story podcast on:</strong></div>
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<div>Saavn: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2oix78C&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2oix78C</a>
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<div>Deezer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=http%3A%2F%2Fbit.ly%2F2Vrf5Ng&amp;redir_token=G9sQMbbppKv-LEFD29gDyTmPMzt8MTU3MTM4MDU5NkAxNTcxMjk0MTk2&amp;v=xkpX1V6aUFo&amp;event=video_description">http://bit.ly/2Vrf5Ng</a>
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The Big Story is back with a second season!

The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. 

With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   



Millions of listeners seek out Bingepods (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.
studio@ideabrews.com

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<p>The Big Story is back with a second season!</p>
<p>The news culture of our times is noisy, crowded, and honestly so confusing. This is why we are coming every fortnight on your podcast platforms to help you make sense of the new and now. <br aria-hidden="true"><br aria-hidden="true">With two new hosts, Anjali and Prateek, the second season of The Big Story will feature longer and well-rounded discussions with experts across science, culture, technology, politics, and more. Tune in on your preferred podcast platform!   </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Millions of listeners seek out <a href="https://bingepods.com/">Bingepods</a> (Ideabrew Studios Network content) every day. Get in touch with us to advertise, join the network or click listen to  enjoy content by some of India's top audio creators.</em><br><em><a href="mailto:studio@ideabrews.com">studio@ideabrews.com</a></em></p>
<p><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bingepods.app">Android</a> | <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bingepods/id1637568609">Apple</a></p>

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