NEW DELHI – According to *The Atlantic*link>*, *low-caste Hindus, or untouchables, as they are known in India, areconverting to Buddhism en masse as the policies and practices of theright-wing government in New Delhi push them to the fringes of Hindutvasociety.

The American magazine has reported on a recent conversion event which tookplace in the state of Maharashtra, famously known for the bustlingmetropolis of Mumbai, where some 500 low-caste Hindus took to an open fieldin a village and converted to Buddhism.

“I shall have no faith in Rama and Krishna who are believed to beincarnations of God nor shall I worship them. … I do not and shall notbelieve that Lord Buddha was the incarnation of Vishnu. … I shall hereafterlead my life according to the principles and teachings of the Buddha,” theywere quoted as chanting during the ceremony.

The converts were Dalits, and belong to the lowest of Hindu castes inIndia. The form of Buddhism they had converted to is called AmbedkariteBuddhism, a movement founded more than 50 years ago by a social reformerwho wanted radical change in the Hindu caste system. The message ispowerful for the ‘untouchables’ of Indian society and continues to appealto a large number of people to this day, according to the US-basedpublication.

Dalits constitute almost 20 per cent of the population in India, and amajority of them are not pleased with the Modi government. Recently,hundreds of thousands of Dalits took to the streets across theHindu-majority country in protest against the discriminatory policiesadopted against them by the state.

However, low-caste Hindus have always been a persecuted group in the Indiansociety, and figures released by a government agency reveal that crimesagainst ‘untouchables’ have skyrocketed by an astounding 66 per cent in thelast decade. The National Crime Record Bureau data also disclosed that rapeof Dalit women in India doubled between 2007-2017.

The report in* The Atlantic* noted that the protests, which are growingsteadily larger every day, will have a major impact on the generalelections scheduled for the next year. Strikes and social media furor overthe mistreatment of low-caste Hindus is also rising across India, it added.

One of the descendants of the founder of Ambedkarite Buddhism, RajratnaAmbedkar, told the American magazine that mass Buddhist conversions aretaking place across India almost every day.