Popra (Malda), April 17: Three years after the Viswa Hindu Parishad signed off the conversion ceremony of six families with a vow to conduct one on a ?grander scale?, it did.

Members of 45 tribal families converted to Hinduism from Christianity in a low-key ceremony today.

The VHP had earlier converted six families, one Muslim and the rest Christians, on August 22, 2002, in Habibpur.

As it was then, the administration was clueless about today?s event, held at this hamlet in Old Malda police station area, 18 km from the district headquarters.

In all, 102 persons took part in the ceremony held under the banner of the Akhil Bharatiya Sanatan Santhal Samaj, an organisation owing allegiance to the VHP.

A similar ceremony was held during Ramnavami in 2000 and 81 families had been converted then. Today, too, was Ramnavami.

Today?s ceremony, unlike the one conducted five years ago, was without fanfare. Even front-ranking VHP leaders of the district decided to give the occasion a pass.

Nakulchandra Das, the district president of the VHP, said that of the 45 families, five had been taken to court where they swore on an affidavit that they were converting to Hinduism. The group comprised three men, two women and six children.

?These families were from the Old Malda area. The affidavits of the others, who came from far away, will be drawn up later,? Das said.

The district president said they had not informed the administration about today?s event as their brush with officials in the past has ?not been pleasant?.

?The earlier ceremony had to be abandoned half way when the people seeking conversion fled the scene after feeling intimidated by the police. We were not allowed to conduct the yagna either. However, we were 100 per cent successful today,? he claimed.

Malda superintendent of police Sashi Kant Poojari said: ?No one informed us about the ceremony and there was no complaint lodged by any one.?

Subdivisional officer Subrata Sarkar, too, said he was unaware of the development. ?I will make inquiries,? he said.

Shibu Murmu, who had come from South Dinajpur with Sarhi Hembram, said they embraced Hinduism voluntarily