Amid harassment and the arrest of hundreds of Christians, often on false charges, and under anti-conversion laws implemented in several states in India, Christians in Arunachal Pradesh, in the northeastern part of the country, organized a massive protest on March 6, calling for the repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA).
SOURCE: GUIAME
“If this law is not repealed by the end of March, we will be forced to hold a rally for a referendum on this,” Mir Stephen Tarh, president of the local Christian Forum, told the Register.
Tarh said more than 200,000 Christians gathered in Borum, near the state capital Itanagar, and other outlying district headquarters on the day of the protest.
Despite the government denying permission for the Christian organization to hold the rally in front of the State Assembly, the protests were peaceful.
‘Respect Our Faith’
Thousands of tribal Christians from different denominations gathered, dressed in colorful traditional attire and holding placards with messages such as “Protect Our Right to Religious Freedom,” “Respect Our Faith,” and “United We Stand for Religious Harmony,” marching from Itanagar to Borum.
“This protest march was a show of unity and solidarity against the perceived threat to religious freedom and harmony in the state,” Bishop Benny Varghese of Itanagar told the Register.
Crowds protested against the anti-conversion law in Arunachal Pradesh on March 6. (Photo: ACF)
Ahead of the protest, a first for the state, the Hindu nationalist lobby under the banner of the Indigenous Peoples Network of Arunachal Pradesh held a rally on March 1, calling for stricter rules to be implemented to enforce the Anti-Conversion Act, which is euphemistically called the “Freedom of Religion Act” of 1978.
However, despite the presence of Mohan Bhagwat, head of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps), at the rally, Tarh said, “Only a few hundred people attended the politically motivated protest.”
Legislative Rules
The revival of the Anti-Conversion Act, passed by the state Legislative Assembly, was required by the Guwahati High Court, which in September ordered the state government to “frame rules” within six months to implement the 1978 law, in response to a petition filed by an indigenous rights activist.
In India, a law can only be implemented after the rules for its implementation have been formulated and notified. However, since this process was not followed in Arunachal Pradesh, the Anti-Conversion Act has never been enforced in 46 years.
The development gained media attention late last year when the state’s Chief Minister, Pema Khandu, who heads the Hindu nationalist BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) government, said his government would take all necessary steps to comply with the high court order.
Dismayed by the Prime Minister’s announcement that he had promised Christians that the measure would be repealed, the Christian Forum met in mid-January. During the meeting, its delegates decided to lobby politically and protest against the measure, starting with district-level protests, followed by a statewide protest on March 6.
“The Arunachal Christian Forum, in collaboration with all sister churches in Arunachal, joined the protest in their thousands, motivated by the concern that the Freedom of Religion Act, which aims to regulate conversions, could be misinterpreted and used to target minority communities and restrict their right to religious freedom,” Bishop Varghese said.
“Leaders from various religious communities who addressed the public stressed the importance of religious freedom and harmony in Arunachal Pradesh. They called on the government to respect the rights of all citizens and promote mutual understanding and respect among people of different faiths,” the bishop reiterated.
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