236 Dalits convert to Buddhism; UP police see 'conspiracy to tarnish state govt'

Ghaziabad: After 236 Dalits from around 50 families in a Ghaziabad village decided to convert to Buddhism in the aftermath and terror of the Hathras gangrape and murder of a Dalit girl, the UP Police has now claimed information of the mass conversion was incorrect and being spread to allegedly "prompt enmity between religious groups". In fact, an FIR has been registered at the Sahibabad police station against unidentified people in this regard.

Some of the recent converts had also met with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday. The converts, all formerly of the Valmiki community, said the Hathras case had shaken them to their core and had as a result decided to choose Buddhism. They said they converted in the presence of Rajaratna Ambedkar, the great-grandson of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.

But the Ghaziabad Police have now found a "conspiracy to tarnish the image of the UP government and create an atmosphere of caste and communal disharmony" and registered a case based on the complaint of a local, who claimed to represent the Valmiki community.

"During investigations, it has been found that a criminal conspiracy was hatched to spread false rumours of religious conversion in a bid to disturb the harmony of the society. It also came to the fore during the course of investigation that the false narrative was built using blank papers and incomplete documents and those who distributed these termed them as forms of beneficial schemes of the government. After the distribution of these alleged forms, rumours of religious conversions were spread in a bid to tarnish the image of the government" a statement from the state government read.

On the other side, the Valmiki families in their locality showed their conversion certificates and claimed that there are many families willing to do so. "People of Valmiki Community from different areas of Ghaziabad and nearby regions are among the 230 persons who were converted into Buddhism on their own wish. We demand justice for the Hathras victim and equality for the Valmikis. The DM has assured that he will resolve our issues in one week or else many other families are ready to convert," said Pawan, a recent convert. The community members changed their religion on October 14 in the district's Karera village.

Meanwhile, police have said that they will soon expose people who are behind the conspiracy.