Could Dalits renounce Hinduism?
Hundreds of thousands of Dalits have already renounced Hinduism, generally by conversion to Buddhism or Christianity, sometimes in mass ceremonies. Dr B R Ambedkar famously led several hundred thousand Dalits in converting to Buddhism, saying “I was born a Hindu, but I will not die one”. Conversion is not a panacea, however, and converts to other religions, especially Christianity and Islam, have suffered continued discrimination. Some converts have lost “reserved” occupations on the grounds that they are no longer members of scheduled castes and converts are not counted as Dalits in the Indian census.
