Meerut: Ruing that there was no point in being a Hindu, if he can't pray in a temple, Shyam, a member of the Dalit Valmiki community in Moga village of Meerut, converted to Islam two weeks ago.
[Shyam Singh and his community were told by the priest that they could not perform puja at the Baghpat Valmiki temple. (Photo Courtesy: The Hindu/Shivam Agarwal) ]
Shyam, a landless labourer, embraced Islam and became Muslim, because his community was denied access to a prominent Valmiki temple, located in nearby Baghpat district, to perform the traditional puja, according to a report punblished by The Hindu.
Shyam now calls himself "Azad" (liberated), the symbolic name that sums up his situation, and also his new identity.
He changed his faith also because of the "continuous threats and harassment" he and his fellow community members had to face from the local law and order officials after he persisted with his demand to have the right to perform puja at the temple.
In November last year, Shyam and his community members were told by the priest that they didn't have any rights to perform puja.
Since November last year, Shyam has petitioned the District Magistrates of Baghpat and Meerut, and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. He also petitioned the Prime Minister's Office.
"What is the point in being a Hindu and having this sacred thread around my wrist if I can't even enter a temple and perform puja," he argued.
While Shyam plans to migrate to Nepal after converting to Islam, his fellow Valmikis, numbering over 100, are scared and don't want to raise the issue. They are thinking of migrating to some other part of the State to escape official harassment.
Comments
| Quick linksNews
National
International
Regional
Politics
Education & Career
Business
Science & Technology
Health
Views & Analysis
The Funny Side
© 2012 Awaz Multimedia & Publications. All rights reserved.
As it is, the party is down in the dumps because of a series of poll debacles. Its tally of 44 Lok Sabha seats shows that its fortunes have never been at a lower ebb. To complicate matters, the party's temperamental vice president, Rahul Gandhi, has .... More
Also Read: Outraged on court summon to Manmohan Singh: Sonia Gandhi
They're turning 50, but the indomitable clout of Bollywood's Khan trio - Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman - in the Hindi entertainment space continues to get stronger. Age notwithstanding, the trio has a much brighter future, predict trade experts and film celebrities .... More
Soon after the above incident the mainstream media that had been mostly ignoring the instances of sexual harassment of women until then changed its attitude and started reporting them. What followed was a flood of daily reports of molestation of women ....... More
40% of meat consumed locally, rest all are exported to other countries, a study by ummid.com reveals
The study also found that except for Allana Sons, a 1969 company which has a major share in frozen meat export from India, and few other smaller players who are Muslims, majority of meat exporters and owners of modern abattoirs, and those associated with other related industries like bone, leather ....... More
The National Student's Federation (NSF) organised the formation of a human shield on Friday, the demonstration is an attempt to promote interfaith coexistence and cooperation among different religious and ethnic groups in Pakistan, Dawn reported. .... More
While the firm announced the move is because of his age as Facebook requires users to be at least 13- years-old, Pearson believes the social media site has singled him out, NY Daily News reported.. .... More
While the firm announced the move is because of his age as Facebook requires users to be at least 13- years-old, Pearson believes the social media site has singled him out, NY Daily News reported.. .... More
Also Read: 8th All India Holy Quran competition opens at Jamia Islamiya Akkalkuwa