In a large public ceremony held at Bargadh Dham in Kharsia (District Raigarh), more than 250 tribal and backward families formally returned to the Hindu fold, in an event led by BJP leader Prabal Singh Judev.
The programme marked what Judev described as the completion of his 18000th ghar wapsi since the passing of his father, the late Dilip Singh Judev, in 2013. Dilip Singh Judev, former MP and Union Minister of State for Forest and Environment, had pioneered the initiative among tribal and Dalit communities in undivided Madhya Pradesh in 1980s and became widely known for washing the feet of returning families as a symbolic gesture of respect.
Continuing that legacy, Prabal Singh Judev conducted a Vedic havan ceremony and personally washed the feet of participating families as a mark of welcome and reconciliation.
Addressing the gathering, Judev said Kharsia holds deep personal and political significance for him. He recalled that his father contested his first Assembly by-election from the region in 1988 against then Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh, Arjun Singh. During that campaign, he said, his father witnessed conversion activities by missionaries in tribal areas, which shaped his resolve to launch a state-wide movement centred on religious awareness and reconnection with traditional practices.
“Many tribal families stood firmly with my father during that time. Their trust has enabled us to continue this mission,” Prabal Judev said.
The event was organised by Dilip Singh Judev Sanatan Foundation (founded by Prabal Judev) and funded and supported by Delhi-based Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, which has been involved in awareness and activism against unlawful conversions.
Swati Goel Sharma, founder of Sewa Nyaya Utthan, attended the event. She said that vulnerable communities are often targeted through inducements and pressure tactics, and emphasised the need for sustained grassroots engagement to counter such practices.
The ceremony concluded with collective prayers and community participation, and with an announcement that more such events will happen in coming weeks across Chattisgarhi Jharkhand and Odisha.
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