The Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal say their activists were involved in the incident.

Two persons are reported to have suffered severe injuries to their legs. An first information report (FIR) has been lodged at the Fatehgunj police station, but no arrests have been made so far.

According to Ishwarbhai Diwanjibhai Gamit, one of the injured who lodged the FIR, the delegates were sleeping in the Adarsh Hindi Vidyalaya -- which they had taken on rent for their lodging during the convention -- when 15 to 20 Gujarati-speaking youths, identifying themselves as VHP activists, began assaulting them. In the scuffle, alleges Ramanbhai of Mandvi Areth village in Surat district, he was thrown from the first floor and fractured his leg. District Bajrang Dal convener Bhagubhai Pancholiand VHP district secretary Parshottambhai Yogi admitted that activists of VHP and Bajrang Dal went to the school, ``to rescue the Adivasi boys''. When they met with resistance, a scuffle ensued, they said, but denied anyone had been thrown from the upper storeys.

They said they had been aware of the convention since it began on October 26, but acted when a 16-year-old tribal of Gunder village in Sankheda taluka complained to them that the delegates had been served egg in their food.He had also complained that more than 100 of them were being ``forced to sit in at the religious function''. Pancholi and Yogi also said they ``rescued'' more than 60 tribal youths from ``missionaries' custody'' and kept them at the VHP office till daybreak. He said nobody was spared; everybody in sight was roughed up.

They had subsequently been shifted, the two added.

They did, however, produce five youths before this reporter, who said they had been offered a free trip, including food and lodging, for an `Ishu Darshan'programme.

Nelson Das of the Alpha Missionary Movement, which organised the function, alleged that VHP activists beat up even Pastor Matthew Cheria's wife and another Christian leader when they came to the spot to mediate. He alleged that delegates were taken away in a tempo by VHP activists; some of them, he added, were still missing. He could not, however, say exactly how many people were missing.

After assaulting the delegates, Das said, the suspects rushed to the Hill Memorial High School nearby, the venue of the daily evening function. There, they removed banners and threatened the school cook, he alleged, adding that he had written to Governor Anshuman Singh about the incident.

Interestingly, the FIR filed by Gamit did not mention any missing persons, nor was any such FIR filed till late in the evening. Das of the AMM said he had asked his lawyer to file an FIR about the incident but was yet to receive confirmation as to whether it had been filed.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) P K Valerasaid the incident was sparked off by an FIR filed at Fatehgunj police station by a tribal from Sankheda alleging that he had been asked by the missionaries at the function to change his religion.

Additional Commissioner of Police M K Tandon said he held separate meetings with representatives of the Church and the VHP during the day. While the VHP leaders charged the missionaries with converting tribals at the function, the missionaries denied it and said they never forced conversions. Tandon said he assured both groups of an impartial and fair inquiry into the incident.

Tandon also said that adequate security arrangements had been made at the function to avoid any untoward incident. The convention is scheduled to conclude on November 1.