Kattu Naickers near Madurai put up ‘stop conversion’ banner

A banner in front of Uchi Mahali Amman temple reads religious conversion is banned in this locality and any violator of the ban would be handed over to the police reflected the concern among the caste leaders and members.

According to R Alagarpandi, president, Kaattu Naicker Samudhayam, around 1,300 families of their caste settled down at the locality in 1956 during the regime of late Chief Minister K Kamaraj and land pattas were issued to them in 1967 when DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi was Chief Minister.

Though the locality remained the best example of unity earlier, a few households embraced Christianity a couple of years ago and the conversion was still continuing, Alagarpandi said. Even after such conversions, those people also persuaded many children of the Kaattu Naicker community when their parents were involved in sorcery spending their times away. “Our children are persuaded to convert to Christianity after providing them with food, dresses and note-books in the name of prayer. With images of such programmes uploaded on social media, funds are being received from foreign countries. Many households here manage blood relations and even marital relations. If such religious conversion continues, it will endanger communal harmony. Hence, the banner has been put up,” he said.

S P Peter Krishnan, a local resident, who runs a social welfare trust, said there wasn’t any problem until 2017, even though religious conversion were going on even in the past. But acts of some radical religious fundamentalists fomented trouble for those nearly 30 pastors, after installation of a flagpole. Scenes of unrest erupted on July 21 this year when dissidents with an intent to disturb harmony and incite communal hatred laid siege to the trust citing that prayers were conducted without obtaining permission alleging people were subjected to forcible conversion. They entered the trust and threw up chairs, besides damaging a couple of two-wheelers. As relationship between the Kaattu Naicker and the religious converts soured, the converts felt like they had been cut off from the society. After putting up such a banner in front of the temple, the converts were told not to remit annual tax towards the temple festival, he said.

Sundaram, Councilllor of Ward 15, said, “There is a practice of imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 against anybody talking to converts”.

Samayanallur Inspector of Police C Kannan said four cases had been filed against 51 persons under Sections 195 A, 143, 341 and 294 (b) of the IPC and the IT Act, and 107 of the CrPC, against 24 others over the last one month.

Madurai Revenue Divisional Officer V. Muruganandam, said 21 from one group and 10 from another have been summoned for inquiry under Section 107 of CrPC on Tuesday, but owing to Public Accounts Committee’s schedule the same day, the inquiry was postponed to August 30. Sources said two rounds of peace meeting were earlier convened for an amicable solution to the issue.