Bajrang Dal warns Mumbai club over 'religious conversions'

Hindutva outfit member Bajrang Dal has issued a warning to the management of the Millennium Club located in Mumbai’s Juhu city against allowing Christian meeting prayers on weekends, alleging that religious conversions are occurring on the club premises.

This warning comes after a dispute with another club Khar Gymkhana in the city which faced the same allegations, leading to the cancellation of the membership of cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues on Sunday, October 20 due to her father’s alleged religious activities of conversion.

According to the reports, members of a Protestant Christian denomination have been conducting prayer meetings at the Millennium Club for over a year. Co-convenor of Bajrang Dal’s Konkan Chapter, Gautam Ravariya, alleged that these types of gatherings often disguise conversion efforts under the guise of prayer meetings.

He said there are many places of worship for all religions in Mumbai and called the club to stop these activities immediately.

“There are several places in the city where halls are booked. On the pretext of conducting prayer meetings, they lure vulnerable individuals and then carry out conversion activities,” said Gautam Ravariya to TOI.

Also Read

Club management refutes claims

The management of the Millennium Club, represented by its managing director Rajiv Anand responded to the allegations by saying they had not noticed any suspicious activities during these occasions. However, in light of the potential for controversy and public unrest, they have agreed to halt the prayer sessions. 

Siddharth Khosa, son of former Congress MLA Baldev Khosa who has been a part of the prayer meetings refuted the statement made by the Hindutva group. He said their intentions were not to convert anyone but simply to conduct peaceful prayers.

“There was a small misunderstanding. Somebody has misinformed that conversion activities are conducted during prayer meets,” Siddharth Khosa quoted by TOI.

Bajrang Dal threatens protest at Khar Gymkhana

On the other side, the Bajrang Dal, citing the incident at Khar Gymkhana, threatened to stage a protest in the club and said that the management would be responsible for any disturbance in the law and order situation.

However, these denials have not deterred Bajrang Dal from raising more pressure saying that the club management would be held responsible for any disturbances to the law and order if such activities persisted. The group also went further to refer to the incident of Khar Gymkhana where similar complaints were made.

The owner of the Millennium Club has stated that the club has no intention of provoking any religious outrage and that the club only exists for entertainment and sporting purposes. He has assured the right wing group that the club will review the situation.

Khar Gymkhana Club controversy

The Khar Gymkhana, one of Mumbai’s oldest clubs in Mumbai city controversy has sparked significant debate and tension in the state, centering around the revocation of cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues’ honorary membership.

The decision was made on Sunday, October 20 after some right-wing members objected concerning her father Ivan Rodrigues who allegedly organized religious activities within the club’s premises aimed at converting individuals.

The Khar Gymkhana has rules that strictly do not allow such religious activities. Club members stated that Ivan Rodrigues had hired the gym’s presidential hall for more than a year and hosted about 35 events in the hall some of which involved the use of loudspeakers, musical instruments and other associated items, including objects indicative of religious ceremonies.

The right-wing members raised concerns and alleged that Ivan Rodrigues was actively involved in converting people to Christianity.

Ivan refutes allegations

Following days, Ivan Rodrigues now chose to speak on the controversy and claimed that he used the facilities of the Khar Gymkhana for prayer meetings and they were in no way ‘conversion meetings’ as quoted by media reports.

Ivan issued a public statement on Instagram on Friday stating, “We had availed of the facilities at the Khar Gymkhana for prayer meetings on multiple occasions, over a year since April 2023. However, this was done in complete accordance with the procedures that Khar Gymkhana has in place, and full knowledge of the office bearers,” Ivan wrote in a statement on Instagram.

“The prayer meetings were open to all and were in no way ‘conversion meetings’ as is wrongly labelled in articles in the media,” he added.

Ivan further added that he stopped the prayer meetings after the club officials asked them to do so.

“When we were told to stop conducting the prayer meetings, we respected the stance of the Gymkhana and did so with immediate effect. When informed about the difference in rates for members and guests, we readily cleared the arrears,” he said.

“We are honest, law-abiding people who are grateful that we can practise our faith without it being a cause of inconvenience to anyone else. To then be the subject of false claims and misinformation is disheartening. We have and continue to wish only the best for everyone,” Ivan added.

In 2023, Khar Gymkhana invited Jemimah Rodrigues to be a member and use its facilities.

(With inputs from IANS)

Get the latest updates in , , , , and on & by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for and .