Seeking refuge in Islam, a group of Dalit families from the Bhagana village of Hisar district reverted to Islam at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Saturday, according to a local newspaper Hindustan Times.
“We don’t feel like being part of Hinduism at all. The upper caste people (Jats) in our village have always treated us as if we are not human beings. So what is the point to stay in such religion?” Virendrar Bagoriya, Bhagana Kand Sangharesh Samiti president said.
Bagoriya confirmed that Maulvi Abdul Hanif from nearby Qutab Minar mosque performed the conversion formalities.
“We read kalma and offered namaz,” Bagoriya said.
Leaders from the famous Dalit families have severally complaint of continuous discrimination among other tribes, also been Hindus has not helped the situation.
While talking to Hindustan Times over the phone from New Delhi, Dalit leaders alleged a feeling of alienation from the Hindu religion, the failure of district administration to attend to their concerns and indifferent attitude of successive state governments left them with no option than to seek refuge in Islam.
Complaint
For more than three-and-a-half-years the group has cried out at the local authorities, begging for allocation of promised plots pursuant to a state government scheme, and also against the atrocities they allegedly suffered at the hands of upper castes.
Deaf hears have also been turned to them when they asked for 100-yard plots each from Panchayat land outside the village, the village panchayat has been refusing to do so.
Other atrocities they claimed were committed against them included failure of the police and local authorities to bring the perpetrators of the gang rape to justice. They further alleged that the police and district administration tried to cover up every wrong done against Dalits in the village by the Jats.
“For years now, we are continuously getting harassed at the hand of “dabangs” [the term they use for Jats] in our village. They are depriving us from our land and raping our girls. Instead of taking action against them, the district administration puts our elders behind bars by falsely implicating them under theft and other charges,” another Dalit leader Rampal Jhanda said.
He added, “We had given up hope of getting any justice from the previous Congress government, headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda. But with the change in guard, we thought that Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP government would do justice to us. But Khattar is no better than his predecessor.”
The Times of India reported that Dalit families from Bhagana have been sitting in protest outside the mini secretariat in Hisar and Jantar Mantar since May 2012, pressing for their demand of action against Khap Panchayat members for provoking upper caste residents of village against them.
The testimony of reversion [Shahadah] was done under the supervision of maulavis from New Delhi under the monitoring of Dr. Abdul Razzaq, an office-bearer of a New Delhi-based Muslim organization.
“After consulting all families, we had organized this program. Dr. Razzaq had also visited Bhagana to know the mindset of villagers. Hence we fixed August 8 as the day for the conversion ceremony,” said Bagoria.
Haryana’s chief parliamentary secretary Kamal Gupta said he was not aware of the development.
“Conversion to Islam for the sake of faith is no issue at all. But conversion for getting their demands met amounts to blackmailing. This is not the right way. Can anyone change the head of the family if the issues raised before him go unaddressed,” he emphasized.
Source: OnIslam
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