Around 250 Hindu families that fall under a discriminated category from past several decades Dalit, from two Tamil Nadu rural zones, Pazhangkallimedu and Nagapalli, are thinking to switch from Hindu to Islam.
As we live in a democratic nation we have freedom to religion and community but the reason? while the five-day yearly temple carnival, the Dalits were refused from entering into the temple.
Six Dalit Hindus communists from the village have already adopted Islam, the report says.
The seaside village of Pazhangkallimedu has about 400 families out of which 180 are Dalits. According to the report, the homeowners said volunteers of the Tamil Nadu Towheed Jamaat (TNTJ) circulated copies of the Quran in the area, while a Christian preacher also approached them.
Meanwhile, administrators of the area such as the Hindu Munnani and the Hindu Makkal Katchi have urged to the Dalits not to switch their religion and are trying to reconcile the conflicts.
Senthil Kumar, a head of the Dalit party, VCK, has assaulted that the authority and the police force failed to secure their freedom to worship rights in Bhadra Kaliamman temple which arose the conflicts.
A superior police official said the authority is trying their best to end the deadlock. He added that while conversations were on to provide Dalits to carry out puja throughout the day, but they asked for the temple access for anytime they want.
Sri Mahasakthi Mariamman temple was established in 2009 by Dalits with a reserve fund collected from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Tamil Nadu government. An organization with a Dalit majority manages the temple. “Now they also want to direct festivals excluding Dalits,”.
According to ANI, some of the Dalit families have also returned their Voter IDs and Aadhaar cards in denial.
Karur district collector said they will carry out a reconciliation gathering within two days between caste Hindus and Dalits.
The last religious regeneration on such a measure in Tamil Nadu occurred in the early 1980s where 800 Dalits switched to Islam at Meenakshipuram village near Tirunelveli.
