TFIPOST हिन्दी
TFIPOST Global
Tfipost.com
Tfipost.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Premium
  • Politics
    • All
    • Analysis
    • Opinions
    • Trending
    With Stalin Hospitalised, Is DMK Headed for a Family Showdown?

    Heir vs Heir: Power Struggle Likely to Loom in DMK as Stalin Falls Unwell

    Illegal Gambling Case: Rana, Vijay Deverakonda Among 4 Actors Under ED Lens

    ED Summons Prakash Raj, Rana Daggubati in Online Betting Scam Probe

    Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns citing health reasons

    Inside Story of Dhankhar’s Resignation: Rajnath Hosts Key Meetings, BJP Rajya Sabha MPs Told to Stay in Delhi for 14 Days

    Kanwar Yatra

    Uttarakhand CM Dhami Alleges Conspiracy to Tarnish Kanwar Yatra’s Image

    • Analysis
    • Opinions
    • Trending
  • Economy
    • All
    • Business
    • Economy1
    • Finance
    Bengal’s Business Exodus: 6,688 Companies Flee State Since Mamata Took Office

    Bengal’s Business Exodus: 6,688 Companies Flee State Since Mamata Took Office

    US Trade Officials to Visit India in August for Crucial Talks

    US Trade Officials to Visit India in August for Crucial Talks

    Importance And Value Of Brand Logos In A Competitive Market

    Importance And Value Of Brand Logos In A Competitive Market

    India's UPI Overtakes Visa to Become World's Leading Real-Time Payment System: IMF

    India’s UPI Overtakes Visa to Become World’s Leading Real-Time Payment System: IMF

    • Business
    • Finance
  • Defense
    • All
    • Defence
    • Strategy
    • Weaponry
    Apache: World’s Most Advanced Attack Helicopter Now in Indian Hands

    Apache Choppers Near Pakistan Border: A Strategic Game Changer for India

    MiG-21 Fighter Jets to Be Retired from Indian Air Force Service by September

    MiG-21 Fighter Jets to Be Retired from Indian Air Force Service by September

    UK F-35B Stealth Jet Finally Departs Kerala Airport After Month-Long Grounding

    UK F-35B Stealth Jet Finally Departs Kerala Airport After Month-Long Grounding

    Indian Army Receives First Apache Attack Helicopters from the US at Hindon Airbase

    Indian Army Receives First Apache Attack Helicopters from the US at Hindon Airbase

    • Defence
    • Strategy
    • Weaponry
  • Geopolitics
    • All
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • South Asia
    • West Asia
    India Sets Diplomatic Priorities for PM Modi’s UK Visit

    India Sets Diplomatic Priorities for PM Modi’s UK Visit: Focus on Economic Fugitives, Khalistani Extremism, Strategic Ties

    India to Complete Key Road in Ladakh's DBO Sector by Late 2026

    India set to Complete Key Road in Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi Sector by Late 2026, Improve Military Access

    TRF Declared Global Terror Outfit After India’s Swift Diplomatic Strike

    India’s 72-Hour Blitz After Pahalgam Gets TRF Blacklisted by Washington

    TRF Ban a Win for India: Renewed Momentum to Greylist Pakistan at FATF

    TRF Sanctioned: Will Pakistan’s Terror Nexus Drag It Back to FATF Grey List?

    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • South Asia
    • West Asia
  • Knowledge
    • All
    • Culture
    • Education
    • History
    • Indology
    NCERT Textbook Reveals Mughal Religious Intolerance

    Ruthless Babur, Violent Akbar, Destructive Aurangzeb: NCERT Textbook Reveals Mughal Religious Intolerance

    India Built Gardens Long Before Babur Dreamt of Charbagh

    Before the Mughals: India’s Civilisation Built Gardens Long Before Babur Dreamt of Charbaghs

    Revisiting the MANUSMRITI: Why India’s Youth Must Study This Ancient Epic

    Revisiting the MANUSMRITI: Why India’s Youth Must Study This Ancient Epic

    Echoes of the Cholas in Today’s Bharat

    Conqueror of the Seas: Rajendra Chola and the Rise of Naval Bharat

    • Culture
    • History
    • Indology
  • Law
  • Lounge
    • All
    • Books
    • Cinema
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Games
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Satire
    • Sports
    • technology
    • Travel
    India Becomes First Country to Digitally Preserve Traditional Medicine Using Artificial Intelligence

    India Becomes First Country to Digitally Preserve Traditional Medicine Using Artificial Intelligence

    Highest RTP Casino Games to Get Better Wins

    Highest RTP Casino Games to Get Better Wins

    How to Use Eyebrow Tinting Kits Like a Salon Expert

    How to Use Eyebrow Tinting Kits Like a Salon Expert

    One in Four Indian Married Couples Are Now Overweight

    ICMR Study: One in Four Indian Married Couples Are Now Overweight or Obese—Shared Lifestyle to Blame

    • Books
    • Cinema
    • Food
    • Health
    • Sports
    • technology
    • Travel
    • Satire
Tfipost.com
  • Premium
  • Politics
    • All
    • Analysis
    • Opinions
    • Trending
    With Stalin Hospitalised, Is DMK Headed for a Family Showdown?

    Heir vs Heir: Power Struggle Likely to Loom in DMK as Stalin Falls Unwell

    Illegal Gambling Case: Rana, Vijay Deverakonda Among 4 Actors Under ED Lens

    ED Summons Prakash Raj, Rana Daggubati in Online Betting Scam Probe

    Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns citing health reasons

    Inside Story of Dhankhar’s Resignation: Rajnath Hosts Key Meetings, BJP Rajya Sabha MPs Told to Stay in Delhi for 14 Days

    Kanwar Yatra

    Uttarakhand CM Dhami Alleges Conspiracy to Tarnish Kanwar Yatra’s Image

    • Analysis
    • Opinions
    • Trending
  • Economy
    • All
    • Business
    • Economy1
    • Finance
    Bengal’s Business Exodus: 6,688 Companies Flee State Since Mamata Took Office

    Bengal’s Business Exodus: 6,688 Companies Flee State Since Mamata Took Office

    US Trade Officials to Visit India in August for Crucial Talks

    US Trade Officials to Visit India in August for Crucial Talks

    Importance And Value Of Brand Logos In A Competitive Market

    Importance And Value Of Brand Logos In A Competitive Market

    India's UPI Overtakes Visa to Become World's Leading Real-Time Payment System: IMF

    India’s UPI Overtakes Visa to Become World’s Leading Real-Time Payment System: IMF

    • Business
    • Finance
  • Defense
    • All
    • Defence
    • Strategy
    • Weaponry
    Apache: World’s Most Advanced Attack Helicopter Now in Indian Hands

    Apache Choppers Near Pakistan Border: A Strategic Game Changer for India

    MiG-21 Fighter Jets to Be Retired from Indian Air Force Service by September

    MiG-21 Fighter Jets to Be Retired from Indian Air Force Service by September

    UK F-35B Stealth Jet Finally Departs Kerala Airport After Month-Long Grounding

    UK F-35B Stealth Jet Finally Departs Kerala Airport After Month-Long Grounding

    Indian Army Receives First Apache Attack Helicopters from the US at Hindon Airbase

    Indian Army Receives First Apache Attack Helicopters from the US at Hindon Airbase

    • Defence
    • Strategy
    • Weaponry
  • Geopolitics
    • All
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • South Asia
    • West Asia
    India Sets Diplomatic Priorities for PM Modi’s UK Visit

    India Sets Diplomatic Priorities for PM Modi’s UK Visit: Focus on Economic Fugitives, Khalistani Extremism, Strategic Ties

    India to Complete Key Road in Ladakh's DBO Sector by Late 2026

    India set to Complete Key Road in Ladakh’s Daulat Beg Oldi Sector by Late 2026, Improve Military Access

    TRF Declared Global Terror Outfit After India’s Swift Diplomatic Strike

    India’s 72-Hour Blitz After Pahalgam Gets TRF Blacklisted by Washington

    TRF Ban a Win for India: Renewed Momentum to Greylist Pakistan at FATF

    TRF Sanctioned: Will Pakistan’s Terror Nexus Drag It Back to FATF Grey List?

    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • South Asia
    • West Asia
  • Knowledge
    • All
    • Culture
    • Education
    • History
    • Indology
    NCERT Textbook Reveals Mughal Religious Intolerance

    Ruthless Babur, Violent Akbar, Destructive Aurangzeb: NCERT Textbook Reveals Mughal Religious Intolerance

    India Built Gardens Long Before Babur Dreamt of Charbagh

    Before the Mughals: India’s Civilisation Built Gardens Long Before Babur Dreamt of Charbaghs

    Revisiting the MANUSMRITI: Why India’s Youth Must Study This Ancient Epic

    Revisiting the MANUSMRITI: Why India’s Youth Must Study This Ancient Epic

    Echoes of the Cholas in Today’s Bharat

    Conqueror of the Seas: Rajendra Chola and the Rise of Naval Bharat

    • Culture
    • History
    • Indology
  • Law
  • Lounge
    • All
    • Books
    • Cinema
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Games
    • Health
    • Lifestyle
    • Satire
    • Sports
    • technology
    • Travel
    India Becomes First Country to Digitally Preserve Traditional Medicine Using Artificial Intelligence

    India Becomes First Country to Digitally Preserve Traditional Medicine Using Artificial Intelligence

    Highest RTP Casino Games to Get Better Wins

    Highest RTP Casino Games to Get Better Wins

    How to Use Eyebrow Tinting Kits Like a Salon Expert

    How to Use Eyebrow Tinting Kits Like a Salon Expert

    One in Four Indian Married Couples Are Now Overweight

    ICMR Study: One in Four Indian Married Couples Are Now Overweight or Obese—Shared Lifestyle to Blame

    • Books
    • Cinema
    • Food
    • Health
    • Sports
    • technology
    • Travel
    • Satire
No Result
View All Result
Tfipost.com
Tfipost.com
No Result
View All Result
  • Premium
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Defense
  • Geopolitics
  • Knowledge
  • Law
  • Lounge

A Tamil Nadu MP has a Ph.D. in conversions and suddenly so many questions come to mind

TFI Desk by TFI Desk
8 October 2021
in Trending
Meenakshipuram, Thirumavalavan, Mass conversions, Islam, Dalits
Share on FacebookShare on X

The issue of religious conversion in India is interestingly more political than religious. There is one narrative that is constantly pushed in India’s political discourse – conversion of Hindu Dalits to other religions as a means of upward mobility. This narrative is used to justify and promote religious conversions in many cases.

Take the case of Thol. Thirumavalavan, President of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK). The VCK, earlier known as Dalit Panthers of India or the Dalit Panthers Iyyakkam, actively opposes caste-based discrimination in the state of Tamil Nadu and also carries trappings of Tamil nationalism. In 2019, Thirumavalavan was conferred a doctorate for research on the topic, “Religious conversion of Meenakshipuram Dalits – a victimological study” by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University. Thirumavalavan’s official Twitter handle too mentions the said doctorate.

RelatedPosts

Another Blow to DMK Govt : Madras HC Intervenes in Custodial Horror, Orders Rs 25 Lakh Relief

Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Southern Legacy: The Maratha Flame in Tamil Nadu

Hindu Faith Under Siege: Mass Religious Conversions Rock Tamil Nadu

Load More

This raises an important question – VCK is a part of the UPA in Tamil Nadu. So, does it believe in mass conversions and does it believe that promoting them will help in social mobility of the Dalits? Moreover, the M.S. University was established by the state of Tamil Nadu.

The religious conversion at Meenakshipuram

Thirumavalavan was granted a Ph.D. in person two years ago by the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, from the state governor and chancellor of the university, Banwarilal Purohit himself. However, the incident about which he wrote his PhD thesis is nearly four decades old.

Also read: ‘Forced religious conversions of Tribals,’ MHA cancels FCRA license of 13 NGOs, freezes their bank accounts

A mass conversion of Dalits to Islam at Meenakshipuram in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in 1981 had then shocked the nation. Hundreds of Dalits were converted to Islam in this incident and an India Today report placed the number of convertees at 1,100.

India Today had also reported, “Chief Minister M.G. Ramachandran and many of his colleagues have been openly referring to the use of massive money from outside the state as the main force behind the conversions.”

Thirumavalavan’s thesis

The VCK President denied the allegation that the Meenakshipuram conversions had the backing of some Islamic nations. Thirumavalavan said that along with an affected Dalit youth, “180 families of Meenakshipuram embraced Islam as they believed that at least the new religion would ensure much-needed self respect for them. Though this mass conversion had not ushered in fortunes for them, they could, after embracing Islam, at least start an eatery, a shop or a teashop right on the main road, or go to the Gulf in search of a job. Hence, it (the religious conversion) had given them economic independence and ensured self-respect.”

Also read: Forced conversions, murders, anti-CAA violence: Radical Islamist outfit PFI must be banned now

The VCK President also claimed that conversion to Islam boosted the social mobility of the Dalits in the village where the incident took place. He added, “Dalits in other parts of the country have experienced economic empowerment. Though they face discrimination on a regular basis, many do not nurture the idea of conversion. That is why I have come to the conclusion that State oppression was the major factor that drove Meenakshipuram conversions.”

Evidently, there are greater questions of societal importance involved. How can it be established that conversion to Islam helped in social mobility? After all, Islam in India also has features of casteism just like Hinduism. So, does conversion really lead to social mobility? And finally, is there any reliable cause-and-effect relationship to uphold such findings in all cases of conversions?

Allegations of use of money

While Thirumavalavan claims that money was not the sole factor instigating Meenakshipuram conversions, tall leaders like former Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee who had visited Meenakshipuram, former Tamil Nadu CM M.G.Ramachandran and even organisations like Arya Samaj had alleged that money was used to convert Dalits to Islam.

Religious conversions may be a politically contentious matter. But the legal position around it is pretty clear. In 1977 itself, the Supreme Court had held that the right to freedom of religion doesn’t include the right to convert another person to one’s own religion. The Supreme Court had observed, “What is freedom for one, is freedom for the other, in equal measure, and there can therefore be no such thing as a fundamental right to convert any person to one’s own religion.”

Also read: CM Yogi is all set to crack down on Love Jihad with an ordinance to stop forced conversions

There is clearly an attempt to push the discourse of justifying religious conversions on the allegation of oppression of Dalits in the country. And even educational institutions and academic research can be used to promote the narrative. However, this raises some really important questions including the ability of universities to distance themselves from such politically and socially sensitive issues.

Tags: Mass ConversionsMeenakshipuramTamil NaduTholkappiyan Thirumavalavan
Share99TweetSend
Previous Post

PM Modi’s war on middlemen

Next Post

Kerala students are now dominating DU because anyone can get 100% marks in Kerala Board

Related Posts

Illegal Gambling Case: Rana, Vijay Deverakonda Among 4 Actors Under ED Lens
Trending

ED Summons Prakash Raj, Rana Daggubati in Online Betting Scam Probe

22 July 2025

In a major development that has rocked the entertainment industry, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned four leading South...

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar resigns citing health reasons
Trending

Inside Story of Dhankhar’s Resignation: Rajnath Hosts Key Meetings, BJP Rajya Sabha MPs Told to Stay in Delhi for 14 Days

22 July 2025

In a move that caught the entire political establishment off guard, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar tendered his resignation yesterday (July...

Kanwar Yatra
Politics

Uttarakhand CM Dhami Alleges Conspiracy to Tarnish Kanwar Yatra’s Image

22 July 2025

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has alleged that a deliberate attempt was made to defame the Kanwar Yatra,...

Load More

Comments 1

  1. VJ says:
    4 years ago

    For over a century mass religious conversions are going on non-stop with all means and thousands of crores of foreign money is being pumped for this fraudulent conversions and yet Indian judiciary, courts, political leaders and majority Hindu people are either denying or not showing any interest in stopping them.
    The govt of India must implement the recommendations of the Niyogi Committee report, which is a comprehensive report on the activities of Christian missionaries in India, published by the government of Madhya Pradesh.

    The committee gave the following recommendations:
    Those missionaries whose primary object is proselytization should be asked to withdraw and the large influx of foreign missionaries should be checked;
    The use of medical and other professional services as a direct means of making conversions should be prohibited by law;
    Attempts to convert by force or fraud or material inducements, or by taking advantage of a personâ inexperience or confidence or spiritual weakness or thoughtlessness, or by penetrating into
    The religious conscience of persons for the purpose of consciously altering their faith should be absolutely prohibited;
    The Constitution of India should be amended in order to rule out propagation by foreigners and conversions by force, fraud, and other illicit means;
    The legislative measures should be enacted for controlling conversion by illegal means;The The rules relating to registration of doctors, nurses and other personnel employed in hospitals should be suitably amended to provide a condition against evangelistic activities during professional service;
    The rules relating to registration of doctors, nurses and other personnel employed in hospitals should be suitably amended to provide a condition against evangelistic activities during professional service;
    Circulation of literature meant for religious propaganda without the approval of the State Government should be prohibited. (Goel 1998, 163-164).

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Currently Playing

Britain’s Million-Dollar Bird Finally Takes Off!

Britain’s Million-Dollar Bird Finally Takes Off!

00:06:43

Maharashtra targets crypto christians. fake dalit quota scam exposed.

00:04:16

The Forgotten Maratha Legacy in Tamil Nadu

00:07:37

India’s ULRA Bomber: 12,000-km Beast That Can Strike Anywhere Without Refueling

00:07:39

The Shocking Truth About Mass Conversions in Tamil Nadu

00:07:26
Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
tfipostTfipost.com
Right Wing | News Analysis | Indian Opinion
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Brand Partnerships
  • Terms of use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
MASHABLE IS A GLOBAL, MULTI-PLATFORM MEDIA AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY. FOR MORE QUERIES AND NEWS, CONTACT US AT info@mashablepartners.com


©2025 TFI Media Private Limited

No Result
View All Result
  • Premium
  • Politics
    • Analysis
    • Opinions
    • Trending
  • Economy
    • Business
    • Finance
  • Defense
    • Defence
    • Strategy
    • Weaponry
  • Geopolitics
    • Africa
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • South Asia
    • West Asia
  • Knowledge
    • Culture
    • History
    • Indology
  • Law
  • Lounge
    • Books
    • Cinema
    • Food
    • Health
    • Sports
    • technology
    • Travel
    • Satire
TFIPOST हिन्दी
TFIPOST Global

©2025 TFI Media Private Limited