1981 Meenakshipuram conversion

The 1981 Meenakshipuram conversion was a mass religious conversion that took place in the Indian village of Meenakshipuram, in which hundreds of Hindu Dalits converted to Islam over caste discrimination. This incident sparked debate over freedom of religion in India and the government decided to introduce anti-conversion legislation.

Meenakshipuram is a village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India. The dalits in the village were segregated by the caste Hindus, who referred to them as untouchables on the basis of the Indian caste system. They were discriminated against by not being allowed access to public properties such as temples and wells which were used by the caste Hindus. The district had a long history of caste-related violence. To avoid discrimination and political suppression, the dalits decided to embrace Islam. On 19 February 1981, around 800 dalits (300 families) were converted to Islam by Ishaatul Islam Sabha of South India in a ceremony.

After the incident, the Tamil Nadu government set up an inquiry commission to investigate the conversion. The commission in its report suggested an anti-conversion bill to be passed by the state government, but government put it on hold. Hindu organizations claimed that the conversion took place by force using foreign funding. However, the converted dalits denied the allegations. A Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare report concluded that it was not forced conversion. Some Hindu political organizations such as Arya Samaj, Vishva Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Janata Party and its leaders like A. B. Vajpayee visited the village and asked them to reconvert but were unable to convince them.

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