Mahatma Gandhi Baptised in US Church

Mahama Gandhi has been baptised in proxy by a US church in 1996, according to Helen Radkey, an independent researcher.

Helen Radkey has revealed that Mahatma Gandhi was baptised by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), in Salt Lake City in Utah on 27 March 1996, which was confirmed on 17 November 2007 at Sao Paulo Brazil Temple," Press Trust of India reported.

The revelations have raised sharp reactions from Gandhi's grandsons and other Hindus from around the world.

Helen Radkey, who has been excommunicated by the Moromons, a religious group, sent an e-mail to Nevada based Hindu Statesman Rajan Zed, saying that she had seen the record which stated Gandhi's baptism on 16 February, but found the record missing from the database soon after that date.

"I have not come across other Indian leaders baptised by Mormons. My copies of the Gandhi record are dated 16 February 2012. The record disappeared shortly after that date. I assume Mormons did not want others to know about Gandhi's baptism," she told the news agency.

But Radkey had sent the screenshot of the database earlier to Huffington Post which showed Gandhi's proxy baptism was conducted on March.26, 1996.

Mahatma Gandhi's grandson Arun Gandhi, who lives in Rochester, New York, told Huffinton Post that he was surprised to hear about the baptism.

"It bothers me in the sense that people are doing something when a person is dead and gone and there is nobody to answer for that person. That's not the right thing to do," Huffington post quoted Arun Gandhi as saying.

He also added that his grandfather was against forced conversions to other religions and believed that people should decide which religion they want to follow.

Meanwhile Zed, who immediately wrote LDS President Thomas S Monson on 24 February after the revelation, said that he did not receive any reply.

"Monson should apologise for this. He also needs to explain how this happened," Zed told Press Trust of India.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) is popularly known as the Mormon church. American Presidential candidate Mitt Romney and Senator John Kerry are among the few top Mormons.

Click here to look at the screenshot of the record that shows Gandhi was baptised in 1996.