800 residents of the locality had announced a mass conversion to Islam
Residents of a Valmiki colony, who were on a hunger strike for a week in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, have been persuaded to break their fast after they were assured that their homes would not be demolished.
But the area remains tense as a demolition drive planned to create space for a mall parking lot became a major controversy this week when 800 residents of the locality announced a mass conversion to Islam, they said to save their homes from being demolished.
They belong to the Valmiki community, traditionally engaged in sanitation work, and allege that they took the startling decision to convert after they were told by civic officials that their houses would not be touched had they been Muslims.
The residents point out that there are several shops and houses owned by Muslims only about half a kilometre away, which have not been included in the parking lot plan, under which only the Valmiki colony will be demolished and the residents re-located.
"They want to construct a parking lot for the mall nearby. The surrounding Muslim colonies have not been touched. Why us? When a draftsman from the local civic body visited us last week, he told us that if these were Muslim houses they would not have been demolished," said Avinash Tapan, a resident.
Rampur is Muslim dominated and the assembly constituency of Azam Khan, one of the most powerful ministers in UP.
The mall is being built by the local municipality and the District Magistrate has now promised the residents that no demolitions will be done in a hurry. But worries remain, with supporters Mr Khan asserting that the demolition drive will continue "irrespective of any caste or religion."
Mr Khan would only say, "If I am not aware of this issue, then I obviously cannot comment... If I begin to worry about what people are talking about, then it will be very difficult to live."
BJP workers in Kanpur today burnt an effigy of Mr Khan alleging that the entire episode is a conspiracy to convert Hindu Valmiki families to Islam in his constituency. BJP leader Sadhvi Prachi reached Rampur yesterday, but was prevented from visiting the Valmiki colony.
But the residents say they do not want their problems politicised. Members of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe visited the area today and assured the residents that they would not be evicted fro their homes forcibly.