A Ph.D Thesis Propping Conversion to
Islam Faces flak
The Manonmaniyam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, handed a Ph.D certificate to Thirumavalavan, leader of VCK party (a Dalit outfit) on August 25 for his controversial thesis on the mass conversion of Dalits into Islam in Meenakshipuram in the 80’s. Puthiya Tamilagam (another Dalit outfit) president Dr. Krishnaswami, strongly objected to the MMS University awarding the Ph.D. He reasoned out, “more than 75% of the families that embraced Islam in early eighties reconverted to Hinduism, the data Thirumavalavan has provided in his thesis is wrong. This will only incite unwanted tension in the village.” In Meenakshipuram, there was neither economic development nor vertical growth in the social status of those who embraced Islam, he added. Interestingly, Thirumavalavan admitted that it was not for academic reasons that he had done the research but only to look into the question whether social status ascended after conversion to Islam. He claimed that the conversions were voluntary, only to be refuted by Hindu organisations. The debate rages.
Milk Of Human Kindness Drowns
Chennai’s Horror
Last week, two cases of murder in Chennai city evoked diametrically opposite passions. Two kids were reportedly poisoned to death by their mother, 25 year old Abirami, who was later arrested. Her plan to elope with one Sundaram (now arrested) after eliminating the entire family was thus thwarted. Her husband was away and so escaped drinking the poisoned milk. The viewers of TV channels were horror-struck as the incident was graphically televised. Naturally, debates on need for family value erupted. Some were driven to comment that the institution of family has been destroyed. They were encountered by the humane gesture by Bala Murugan, an Assistant Commissioner, Chennai Police, who was investigating a case of murder of a woman by her neighbour. The official took Karthik, 15, son of the victim, into his family, unable to bear the predicament of the boy who was an orphan, having lost his father a decade back. Bala Murugan has a son and a daughter. He consulted his wife before taking the decision. The fate of the second case was that it was not glamorised as the first case and so went almost un-noticed.
Sofia Episode Lays Bare Naxal
Nervousness
One by one several worms crawl out of the Sofia can. Lois Sofia, 28, a research scholar, had tweeted about her intentions to confront BJP leader Tamilisai, prior to shouting the anti-BJP slogans on an IndiGo flight from Chennai to Thuthukudi. It was a planned attempt to malign the party. On a complaint by Tamilisai, police arrested Sofia at Thuthukudi. Sofia’s father’s letter to the police revealed that she belongs to a Dalit community, laying bare the fact that she enjoyed Dalit privileges after converting to Christianity. Some 16 advocates attended her bail petition hearing. Most of them belonged to a naxal outfit, exposing Sofia’s ideological leanings. She had been in the Church – Naxal instigated campaign against the Sterlite factory in Thuthukudi. The sudden uproar of freedom of expression to buttress Sofia’s dangerous behaviour on flight exposed who her backers were. DMK chief M.K.Stalin backed her to the hilt only to be snubbed by BJP leaders, who pointed out how a university student who opposed Karunanidhi receiving an honorary doctor’s degree was eliminated in the seventies. The Sofia episode exposed the nervousness of fund starved NGOs and Naxals following the plugging of loopholes in foreign fund norms by the Modi government.
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