After Dalits, now Aligarh Thakurs threaten to convert to Islam

AGRA: Retaliating to the threat of religious conversions by Dalits of a village in Aligarh, local Thakurs on Monday have threatened to embrace Islam if their issues are not resolved. They have accused Dalits of giving a casteist colour to “minor disputes” and victimising Thakurs in the process.

On Sunday, some 2,000-odd Dalits from Keshopur Jhopri village, while accusing upper caste Thakurs of persecuting them, had immersed posters of Hindu gods in a rivulet, symbolising their resolve to bid farewell to Hinduism. However, their gesture has not gone down well with the Thakurs, who have now threatened to convert to Islam unless their issues with the Dalits are sorted out.

Talking to TOI, Lakhan Singh, a Thakur leader from the village, said Dalits were unnecessarily giving a casteist angle to minor disputes and even the police and the administration were supporting them. Countering the claims made by Dalits,

Singh

said, “On the contrary, people from our community were beaten up and even our women are not safe here.”

A dispute over laying of a drain pipeline from Thakur households had triggered the clash on May 16. The Dalits had allegedly pulled out the pipes claiming that they drained out near the site where they proposed to build a temple dedicated to Bhairav Baba. FIRs were lodged by both sides and 11 people belonging to both communities were arrested.

Lakhan Singh, who teaches at a self-financed degree college, claimed that police have booked six Thakurs under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the IPC and provisions of the SC/ST Act on a complaint by Dalits and this was not acceptable. He denied that the drains had been dug up to thwart Dalits from building the temple
on the site of a dried well.

“The Dalits are only staging a drama. If changing their religion can resolve the issue, then we are also ready to do it,” said Singh, adding that those who were arrested were respectable people with a clean record.

The Thakur leader said the community members had given an application to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajesh Pandey for dropping the charges and urged him to book Dalits for misbehaving with women of their community.

Another Thakur, Prince Chauhan, said, “We belong to educated families and are not goons. The Dalits are taking advantage of the law to get the upper hand over us.”

Extending his support to the Thakurs, Satish Gautam, MP from Aligarh, said this was being done by some “BSP-minded” people.

SSP Pandey told TOI that a case has already been registered and 11 people have been arrested collectively from both communities and investigations are on. “A police force has been deployed at the village to prevent any untoward incident,” he added.Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes, messages and quotes !