1,700 dalits move to forsake Hinduism – Times of India

AHMEDABAD: After the Una flogging atrocity, dalits across the state have launched a drive to leave Hinduism for another religion. If rights activists are to be believed, around 1,700 dalits have applied in respective district collectorates for conversion.

“Around 1,500 dalits in Ghogha town of Bhavnagar have already filled forms at the district collectroate expressing their wish to forsake Hinduism for Islam. Besides, 200 activists in Palanpur town of Banaskantha have also applied for conversion to Islam,” said a dalit rights activists.

The activists had earlier threatened to forsake Hinduism. “We will first give up Hinduism as our religion because so-called saviours of the majority religion have been suppressing us. The flogging incident of Una was so extreme that it forced us to take this step,” said Kaushik Parmar, a dalit rights activist. tnn