New Delhi, October 21: As many as 236 people belonging to the Dalit community have converted to Buddhism in Ghaziabad. They embraced Buddhism on October 14 in the presence of Rajratan Ambedkar, the great-grandnephew of Dr B R Ambedkar. On that very date, 64 years ago, Dr BR Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with 3,65,000 of his followers. Many among those who converted said they were compelled by the Hathras incident.

A 19-year-old Dalit girl was tortured and allegedly gang-raped by four upper-caste men in Uttar Prades's Hathras last month. She died on September 29 in Delhi's Safdarjung hospital. "After what happened in Hathras with the 19-year-old Dalit woman, we decided to convert," Inder Ram, who along with 235 other left the Valmiki community and embraced Buddhism in Karera village of Ghaziabad, told The Indian Express. Hathras Case: CBI Takes Over Probe in Alleged Gangrape and Murder of Dalit Teenager.

Pawan, who also converted to Buddhism on October 14, said the Hathras incident was a final straw. "We thought of converting in the past as well but this (Hathras) incident shook us up – the way state machinery is grilling the victim’s family, the way she was cremated at 2.30 am without her family’s permission," he was quoted as saying. His views were echoed by Kamlesh, who used to collect scrap before the lockdown.

"The Hathras incident was the tipping point for most of us. Converting to another religion is not an easy decision. It means leaving behind old rituals, but we are now tired," Kamlesh said. The Valmikis, who are Dalits, allege discrimination on the part of the "upper-caste" Chauhans, who are the majority in Karera village. Tamil Nadu: Over 400 Dalits Convert to Islam After Linking Fatal Wall Collapse Incident in Mettupalayam to 'Casteism'.

Meanwhile, 50 Dalits also converted to Buddhism in Karnataka's Udupi on October 18. They embraced Buddhism following the Dalit Buddhist movement, which was launched in 1956 by Dr Ambedkar, to mark the 64th Dhammachakra Pravartan Day (when Dr Ambedkar converted to Buddhism).

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 21, 2020 11:02 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).