With the issue of religious conversions becoming big in western UP, an anti-conversion helpline (09410494559), now nearly a month old, has been steadily getting more calls for help from all quarters.
“Now, we have even started getting calls from states like West Bengal where cases of forced conversion are high,” claims Ajay Tyagi, a local BJP functionary in Meerut.
“We have a strong network of volunteers who mobilize community support for the victims,” he says. Dial 07588682181 or 02066803300 and you would be linked to a Pune-based call centre.
“Uttar Pradesh is among the states from where most queries are raised. On the whole we have now started getting 60 to 70 calls per day now,” said a call centre executive. The queries are received, segregated and transferred to volunteers of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), who then are supposed to come to your aid.
“Believe me, this helpline has an extraordinary success rate,” said Digvijaya Singh, a Lucknow-based VHP worker. “If you are stuck up in the dead of night with a flat tyre issue and don’t know what to do, use our Hindu helpline. Our cadres would reach you,” he said.
“From providing you a lawyer in case you can’t afford one or have difficulty in finding the right one to rushing volunteers in case you are sick and don’t have anyone to fall back on we are there to help the Hindus,” said Amol, a VHP worker.
Interestingly, VHP’s Praveen Togadia, a doctor by profession, has another helpline going – it’s called the Hindu health-line.