In order to save their houses from demolition and allegedly replace them with a new shopping mall, 800 Valmikis converted to Islam on Tuesday, in the city of Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, the Times of India has reported.
However many rejected the idea of conversion. Watch this video.
According to residents, a municipal employee recommended the conversion as minority communities in the same vicinity did not have to face any such demolition.
For us, it made sense because a few settlements belonging to the minority community in our vicinity have been spared the demolition.
–Bhim Anarya, Valmiki Basti resident
The construction of the shopping mall is also said to have the support of Azam Khan, a UP minister.
His media spokesman, Ali Khan denied that the conversion would halt the demolition.
Those converting to Islam should clearly understand that this is not going to help them in any manner. Encroachment of public land in any form by any community is totally unacceptable. In Rampur, the majority of those evicted from government lands are Muslims.
–Ali Khan, media spokesperson for Azam Khan.
No special ceremony was carried out for the conversions. According to the Times of India. One only requires to recite the ‘qalma’, a phrase spoken to convert oneself to Islam, and have ‘niyat’, or true belief in Islam.
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