Denied justice, west UP Dalits play conversion card

Denied social justice, west UP’s oppressed Dalits are increasingly threatening to opt out of the Hindu fold. But in a shift from tradition, they are talking about embracing Islam rather than Buddhism.For the second time in a month, a Dalit in this region has threatened to convert if police do not bring his tormentors to justice. On Thursday, Lohia Nagar resident Anoop Kumar Jatav alleged he had been attacked twice in the past 10 days and lack of action by police had emboldened his assailants.Ghaziabad district’s Bamheta village has also been tense since the alleged gang rape of a Dalit schoolgirl on March 29.

The Class VIII student burnt herself to death on April 6, and the accused, Bablu and Rancho Yadav, allegedly continued pressuring her family to withdraw the case. Matters came to a head when Lila Dhar, a former pradhan, and the accused’s relatives thrashed the girl’s family on April 10 during her chautha ceremony. In protest, 1,000 Dalit families in the village threatened mass conversion to Islam.”We face oppression from other castes.