Kendrapara, India - Despite peace brokered by the administration over the vexed issue of Dalit entry into a Hindu temple at Keredagada in this district, about 1000 Dalits have decided to embrace "some other tolerant religion."
Former Union Minister and prominent Dalit leader Bhajaman Behera said at a press conference here yesterday that these Dalits were likely to embrace Buddhism.
He said they were likely to file affidavits with the district administration on January 3 expressing their intention to change their faith as required under the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act.
The Dalits, who included 12 families from Keredagada village, had decided to renounce Hinduism and embrace some other tolerant religion in protest against the "continued humiliation being heaped on them" over their right to have "darshan" of the deities.
The news conference was jointly organised by the newly- formed political outfit Orissa Mukti Morcha, headed by Behera, Ambedkar Mission and Republican Youth and Students Federation.
Behera said the peace formula arrived at by the administration with involvement of senior state officials on December 17 last was not acceptable to the Dalits.
According to consensus reached in the presence of Revenue Divisional Commissioner (Central Range) Suresh Mohapatra, both Dalits and upper caste Hindus were conferred the right to "darshan" at the 300-year-old Jagannath temple from the first step of the sanctum sanctorum.
Also, a barricaded structure would prevent people from both groups to enter the sanctum sanctorum. Besides, the outer wall of the temple with nine holes through which Dalits were earlier allowed to peep at the deities would be demolished and replaced by a new gate through which all devotees would enter.
Behera, accompanied by Ambedkar mission chief Bidyadhar Dehury and RYSF President Ashok Mallick, alleged that the spirit of the order on the issue on December 5 was violated.
Alleging that majority of Dalits were not agreeable to the decision arrived at on December 17, Behera claimed that most of them were now disillusioned and not inclined to assert their religious rights.
Regardless of the High Court ruling, they apprehended confrontation as their demand for entry into the shrine was "not taken in the right spirit by the upper castes," the former Union Minister said.
Meanwhile, another group of Dalits from Keredagada village expressed their happiness over the peace brokered by the administration.
Asserting that they would abide by it, Rabindra Sethi, Rajkishore Muduli and Akshyay Mallick told mediapersons at Bhubaneswar that they had accepted the compromise formula and were keen that construction be completed by December 31.