NEW DELHI, 15 October 2006 — Thousands of low-caste Hindus converted to Buddhism and Christianity yesterday to protest new laws in some Indian states that forbid conversions, a report said. The ceremonies took place in the central city of Nagpur in western Maharastra state and the town of Gulbarga in southern Karnataka province.
In Gulbarga, some 3,000 “dalits” or low-caste Hindus were converted to Buddhism by Bante Bodhi Dhama, a Japanese monk. The ceremony was preceded by 500 Buddhist monks taking a procession through the streets. The conversions in Nagpur were held in the presence of foreign observers to ensure the process was voluntary and free of allurements or force.
The two ceremonies coincided with the 50th anniversary of the conversion from Hinduism to Buddhism of B.R. Ambedkar, a low-caste Hindu and the founder of India’s democratic constitution.
