By Express News Service

COIMBATORE: Nadur residents and members of Tamil Puligal Katchi, citing ill-treatment of Dalits in the Hindu religion, have announced that they would be converting to Islam.

The decision was made at the outfit’s State-level meeting held at Mettupalayam.

In all, 3,000 individuals would give up their religion and become Muslims, they said.

General Secretary of Tamil Puligal Katchi M Ilavenil presided over the meeting.

Citing the wall collapse incident which claimed the lives of 17 people at Nadur, the members of the outfit said that despite there being a provision for taking action under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the owner the house - Sivasubramanian - was not booked under it.

“Sivasubramanian constructed the wall with a discriminatory motive. There were no pillars to support it. He built the wall in order to separate his house from those of the Dalits who lived nearby. Citing the discrimination, we have been demanding officials to alter the case registered on Sivasubramanian and book him under the SC/ST act. But the State government has not altered the case so far,” said Ilavenil.

Speaking about the detention of Nagai Thiruvalluvan, who is the outfit’s president, he said, “The person responsible for the tragedy was released on bail within 20 days of his arrest. But Thiruvalluvan who protested in a democratic way seeking justice has been detained in Coimbatore prison. It exhibits the inequality in the religion,” he said.

Claiming that Dalits are being ill-treated in the religion, Ilavenil said that his party members along with the people of Nadur have decided to convert to Islam.

“As many as 100 people will convert to Islam on January 5 in Mettupalayam during the first phase,” he said, adding that the process will be taken up step by step in other districts.

Wall collapse at Nadur

Citing the wall collapse incident which claimed the lives of 17 people at Nadur, the members of the outfit said that despite there being a provision for taking action under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the owner the house - Sivasubramanian - was not booked under it.