Seven villagers from a village in Bihar’s West Champaran district were honoured with the Rashtra Jyoti Samvidhan Rakshak Samman for uprooting an illegal religious conversion racket from their village, thus upholding law and Constitutional values.
The felicitation ceremony was organised by Rashtra Jyoti under the leadership of Swati Goel Sharma. The award was presented by Priyank Kanoongo, member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), who travelled from Delhi to personally recognize the villagers’ efforts.
The village is Bharpatiya Pathak Tola in Dumri Muradih Panchayat of Piprasi block.
The Conversion Racket
A self-styled pastor, who is a resident of the village, started a “prayer center” here after coming in contact with a missionary group. He is Anil Gond. As per locals’ account to Rashtra Jyoti, he and his accomplice started distributing bottles of water that they said had been “blessed” and “held miraculous powers to heal the sick.
They also told residents that Yesu is the only true God and Hindu deities were false and powerless. He invited residents to his “prayer centre” saying that evil spirits are chased away at the place, healing the sick. Soon, residents started going there every Sunday.
The Heroes
One of the villagers honoured by Rashtra Jyoti is Anil’s real brother Harkesh Gond, who resisted the illegal conversion activities and played a crucial role in driving Anil’s group away.
Village head Jokhu Baithe also played a decisive role and was honoured. In his address to the residents, he said: “No disease can be cured by any so-called miraculous water.“
His appeal exposed the fraudulent practices and helped restore faith in the village’s unity.
Local resident Marachho Devi, also honoured, strengthened the resistance by organizing women in the community against the conversion attempts, ensuring the network of fraudsters could not penetrate further.
The seven villagers felicitated with the Rashtra Jyoti Samman included:
- Harkesh Gond
- Village head Jokhu Baithe
- Indranand Bind
- Rambilas Bind
- Sunil Pathak
- Bhubneshwar Yadav
- Marchhi Devi
The Award Event
Addressing the gathering of over 300 villagers, Priyank Kanoongo highlighted the provisions of the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950, reminding the audience that SC status and its associated benefits are constitutionally reserved for Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.
He warned: “Any conversion carried out through fraud or coercion not only violates individual freedom but also strips Dalits of their Scheduled Caste status and constitutional protections.”
Speaking with conviction, Swati Goel Sharma declared: “These villagers are the true heroes of our nation. They rejected the soul-hunters and stood steadfast in their faith, defending both religion and the Constitution.“
Chhapra-based social worker Anand Verma played a pivotal role in organising the event and ensuring strong local participation.
Leaders of the Human Rights Council, Kushinagar (U.P.), including Arun Kumar Dubey (Divisional President), Tej Pratap Sharma (District President), Umashankar Gupta (Vice President), Tulsi Kushwaha (District Secretary), and Santosh Yadav (Member) were also present at the programme, underscoring its wider social impact.
As part of the event, Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation distributed essential supplies to needy families, ensuring that the gathering not only honoured courage but also served the welfare of the community.
Watch a video of the event:
