Tamil Nadu minority commission terms attacks against minorities political

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minority Commission Chairperson S Peter Alphonse responded to incidents of Christian communities in Tami Nadu being systematically targeted by right-wing Hindu organisations. He said such attacks are high in the western regions of the state and it is very similar to the way RSS turned Gujarat's communal politics.

He told The News Minute that people have been asked not to shop at stores owned by Muslims. The Vinayagar Chaturthi is being celebrated as a mass political gathering instead of a religious festival. He observed that the right wing has chosen the western belt to experiment with its ideology.

The moves to create enmity between minorities and SC communities are "deliberate" and a new trend of people from minority communities being attacked has emerged. Attackers are often not the residents of the locality but they instigate the locals against minorities by alleging forced conversions, said Peter.

He reiterated that Islam and Christianity do not accept forced conversions. And genuine conversion is a constitutionally protected right. The elected government has a responsibility to protect this right.

He noted that police are not helpful because they ask victims to not conduct prayers citing law and order issues. Some victims have sought the help of the Madras High Court and judges have ruled that disrupting worship is a violation of fundamental rights. However, the Tamil Nadu government has not taken any steps to ensure the safety of minority communities.

Peter called on DMK, Congress, CPI, CPI(M), and all the secular parties to come together and fight politically instead of treating it as a religious dispute. He added that the DMK government is conscious of the need to protect the constitutional rights of minorities.