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. Nobody has come forward to help us, so we’ve chose to convert to Islam.
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In signs of a never-ending rift between the Dalit community and the “upper castes”, 250 Hindu Dalit families in Tamil Nadu have threatened to convert to Islam after they were allegedly denied entry into a temple. “They have given me a written statement denying media reports on mass conversion, and that none has embraced any other religion over this row”, the official told Express.
Six families from Pazhangkallimedu village in Nagapattinam district have already converted to Islam.
One of those working as a pro-Dalit functionary said that of the five days that the temple festival is held, they are asking for “madangapadi” rights on one day during the festivities. One of the representatives of the Dalits said it was the concern for the safety of these families that prompted them to give the statement.
A similar story has emerged from Nagapalli village in Karur, 240 kilometres away, where 70 Dalit families are planning to convert to Islam.
Vedaranyam DSP Pon Karthik Kumar, Tahsildar Ilangovan and Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Executive Officer Manavalan were also present during the spot inquiry, Jayaraj said. They also agreed to submit a petition to the Joint Commissioner of State Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department seeking equal rights and abide by the order it passes, said RDO Jeyaraj, after holding discussions with the representatives of the almost 200 families. The Dalits claim that the temple was originally built in their locality and shifted to the current spot after floods several years ago. A trust with a Dalit majority runs the temple. 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.
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The last religious conversion on such a scale in Tamil Nadu happened in the early 1980s, when 800 Dalits converted to Islam at Meenakshipuram village near Tirunelveli.
