Mangaluru: Saffron outfits may be courting controversy with their “Ghar Vapsi” programme in other parts of the country, but reconversion is nothing new to Mangaluru where at least a few take place every year.

According to sources in the Sangh parivar, reconversion has been quietly carried out in the coastal district since the 1990s.

“Every year there are about seven cases of people reconverting to Hinduism here. In some cases individuals embrace Hinduism and in others the entire family returns,” says a senior leader of the Sangh, revealing that most are reconverted through the Arya Samaj.

In fact, in Karnataka about 200 are reportedly reconverted every year especially in the northern and central parts . The numbers are fewer in the coastal belt, going by him.

“In the coastal belt conversion from Hinduism to Islam and Christianity took place several centuries ago and not so much in the recent past.

Muslims in the region are therefore orthodox and unwilling to embrace Hinduism,” the Sangh member explains, adding that the main challenge is to hide the identities of those who give up Islam to become Hindus. “We keep their reconversion a secret and make sure they live somewhere safe,” he says.

Some reconversions are the result of girls from other communities falling in love with Hindu boys , reveal leaders of saffron outfits.

They, however claim that reconversions in the region do not help the BJP in elections as their number is too negligible to make an impact on the larger electoral picture.

“The number of reconversions are too small to make any difference to the BJP's fortunes in elections,” they insist.