Around 200 dalits in Mettupatti village of Theni district in Tamil Nadu, have sought the district collector's consent for embracing a religion of their choice.

District Collector Atul Anand, who received a memorandum from the villagers, has asked the district Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer to inquire into the charge that upper caste Hindus in the village had denied the dalits permission to take out a funeral procession through the main thoroughfare.

The memorandum said the upper caste Hindus had gone back on their promise made at a discussion arranged by revenue officials, but nothing was done to implement the resolution. They then took out the funeral procession with police protection, the memorandum claimed.

"We are being denied our rights. Therefore we should be allowed to convert to some other religion which will treat us as human beings," the memorandum said. It was silent on which religion they wanted to convert.

The memorandum assumes significance in the light of the recently enacted anti-conversion law, which requires intended converts to notify the judicial authorities.

The law, however, does not provide for any prior permission from the district authorities for such conversions. The controversial law aimed at the 'forcible' conversions or those converted through allurements, does not come in the way of conversions out of ones' free will.

More reports from Tamil Nadu