The Hindu : T.Mettupatti Dalits seek conversion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu

T.Mettupatti Dalits seek conversion

By Our Staff Reporter

THENI JAN. 6. For the first time, about 218 Dalits residing at T. Mettupatti near Devaram in the district today submitted petitions to the District Collector, Atul Anand, expressing their willingness to convert to another religion and demanded applications required for legal conversion.

In a petition to the Collector, they charged that upper caste Hindus had been torturing them since 1999. Dalits were not allowed to pass through the streets where upper caste Hindus resided. ``There was none to protect our basic rights.'' Repeated pleas and petitions to police stations did not bring any solace to them. There had been a constant threat to their lives also.

``Disgusted with their pathetic condition,'' the petition said, Dalits had now decided that there was no point in following Hinduism that did not give equal rights to them.

For adequate protection and equal status, they would convert to any religion that would respect and recognise them as human beings. There was no compulsion from any quarter in this connection, the petition said.

The Collector and the District Revenue Officer, K. Chandrasekaran, promised them of looking into the matter and advised them to lodge a complaint with police if they faced any atrocity.

Dalits had already picketed a road in T. Mettupatti carrying a dead body and demanding permission for the funeral procession through the main road.

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Southern States