Arunachal Christian group plans stir against anti-conversion law
The Hindu
Arunachal Christian Forum protests against 46-year-old anti-conversion law, calling for its repeal and criticizing government indifference.
An apex Christian body in Arunachal Pradesh has planned a series of protests against the Pema Khandu-led Bharatiya Janata Party government’s move to implement a 46-year-old anti-conversion law.
The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) said its members would go on a week-long fast from February 10 followed by a mass prayer calling for the repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act of 1978. The stir includes a gherao of the 60-member State Assembly on March 6, when the Act is likely to be discussed toward implementation.
Also Read | Right to religion does not include right to convert: MHA to SC
In December 2024, Mr Khandu said the Freedom of Religion Act would be implemented after its rules are framed. This followed a directive from the Gauhati High Court to the State government to finalise the draft rules of the Act within six months from September 2024.
“The Act has freedom in its name but it has been designed to curb the freedom of practising our religion. We have drawn up the protest programme to demonstrate our opposition to this unfair Act that has been dormant for four decades,” ACF president Tarh Miri told The Hindu on Thursday (February 6, 2025).
Also Read | Congress playing religious card in Arunachal: Chief Minister Khandu
He said the State government was virtually indifferent to the ACF’s concerns about the Act.