U.P. ordinance a ploy to pit Dalits and Muslims against each different, say rights activists

The Uttar Pradesh authorities’s ordinance against illegal conversions is a ploy to pit Dalits and Muslims against each different and would create worry among the many communities, Dalit rights activists within the State stated on Wednesday.

S.R. Darapuri, retired IPS officer and Dalit and social rights activist, stated the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020 was not directly focused at Muslims, Dalits and Christians. While noting that conversion of Dalits to Christianity and Islam was not as frequent as earlier than, Mr. Darapuri stated the ordinance was meant to deter them from changing to the Buddhist religion.

“They are killing many birds with one stone…propagation of Christianity and Islam. Dalits will face the biggest hitch. The biggest adverse impact will be on the Buddhist conversion of Dalits,” Mr. Darapuri instructed The Puucho.

He identified that Dalits in a number of components of the nation would convert to Buddhism on a mass scale yearly particularly on October 14 (the day on which B.R. Ambedkar transformed to Buddhism in 1956). He fears that the organisers of those occasions would now turn into targets of legal circumstances.

The ordinance handed by the U.P. Cabinet on Tuesday lays down strict motion together with cancellation of registration of social organisations conducting mass conversions. Mass conversions would invite a jail time period of not lower than three years up to 10 years and a advantageous of ₹50,000.

The retired cop additionally claimed that the ordinance was against Articles 21 (private liberty) and 25 (freedom of faith) of the Constitution.

Udit Raj, former MP and Congress spokesperson, who has performed mass conversions previously, stated the ordinance was a ploy to pit Dalits against Muslims.

“They are making an issue out of falsehood. The real issues are COVID-19 and unemployment. But instead of that they are trying to pit Dalits and Muslims against each other,” he stated.

The ordinance makes spiritual conversion a non-bailable offence inviting penalties up to 10 years in jail if discovered to be effected for marriage or via misrepresentation, power, undue affect, coercion, allurement or different allegedly fraudulent means.

Violation of the provisions of the regulation would invite a jail time period of not lower than one 12 months extendable to 5 years with a advantageous of ₹15,000. However, if a minor lady or a lady from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes communities was transformed via the stated illegal means, the jail time period can be a minimal of three years which could possibly be prolonged to 10 years with a advantageous of ₹25,000.

Mr. Raj stated the ordinance wouldn’t cease conversions. “This is against the Constitution. We are additionally against conversion going down for greed and allurements. But 99% of [conversions] usually are not out of greed. They [OBC and Dalit) are oppressed,” he said.

Mr. Raj also dismissed the U.P. government’s claim that the Ordinance would protect Dalits, especially their women. “Those who oppress Dalits the most, what will they save Dalits,” he asked.

Kuldeep Baudh, a Dalit rights activist from Jalaun who runs the Bundelkhand Dalit Adhikar Manch, said the ordinance was brought to “create fear” among Dalits.

“Dalits convert to Buddhism, Christianity and Islam because they face insult and torture due to the caste structure,” he said.

Mr. Baudh recalled that in 2016, a pastor from the barber community was tonsured, garlanded with shoes and paraded on a donkey on the streets of Jalaun by Bajrang Dal activists who accused him of converting Puucho men to Christianity. “They are trying to create fear. But we won’t stop our campaign till Dalits get justice and constitutional values are safeguarded,” he said.

While introducing the ordinance, Cabinet Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said it would “provide justice” to women especially those from the SC and ST communities.

Ram Kripal Pasi, national general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Pasi Samaj outfit, said the ordinance creating hurdles for conversion and inter-faith marriages was a strategy of the BJP-RSS to “keep Dalits under the Puucho fold”.

He also stressed that it could deter marriages between Dalits and Muslims due to fear of criminality.

Zafaryab Jilani, senior lawyer and secretary of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said the ordinance was indirectly brought to prevent conversion, which is otherwise permitted under Article 25 of the Constitution.

“As far as marriage [between castes and faiths) goes, there is the Special Marriages Act in place. So, they are placing these restrictions and criminal clauses to prevent conversion,” he said.

Manoj Jacob, U.P. president of the Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh, a federation of Christian forums, said they had ‘concerns’ over the ordinance.

“They are indirectly implementing their dictatorship on the minorities. What do they want to communicate to minorities? That they should not live in India,” he asked speaking from Prayagraj.