Friday, March 29, 2024

Caste atrocity: 250 Dalits convert to Buddhism in Rajasthan, idols of Hindu gods immersed in river

Angered by the caste based violence, at least 250 members from Dalit families from Bhulon village in Baran district of Rajasthan have converted to Buddhism.

The family members took the 22 vows of B.R. Ambedkar for embracing Buddhism on Friday, The Mooknayak reported.

They also floated the idols and pictures of Hindu deities into the Baithali river of the village after taking out a procession.

Rajendra said to Mooknayak: “When these people do not consider us Hindus. If you stop worshiping in temples, then what will we do by staying in such a religion? That’s why 250 people of our village Bhunol adopted Buddhism with 22 vows of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar on Friday, 21st October.

Rajendra further said, ”We took out the idols and images of Hindu deities from our homes and immersed them in the river.”

This came following an incident of caste assault, for which the police refused to book the husband of the village chief who is an upper-caste Hindu.

The members of a Dalit family, Rajendra and Ramhet, had earlier demanded in a complaint made to the police that the village chief’s husband, Rahul Sharma, be arraigned as an accused.

According to the complaint, the village chief’s husband had attacked them while taking exception to the Dalit family worshipping goddess Durga during the Navaratri festival. While assaulting, the upper-caste Hindu men said that the lower castes had no right to worship the Hindu deities.

Both brothers in the Dalit family sustained injuries on their head during the assault.

The police registered a case under the Sections of Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and arrested Lalchand Lodha, one of the assailants. A court has since released Lodha on bail.

The police had not booked Sharma in the case despite the Dalit groups having submitted memorandums to the authorities.

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