Indian State Rejects Opposition to Conversion Law
September 15th, 2006RAIPUR, INDIA, September 12, 2006: A Hindu nationalist-led government in central India said on Monday it will proceed with a plan to impose strict punishment on anyone found guilty of forcing religious conversions. The decision by the government of Chhattisgarh state to give more teeth to a law banning conversions by force or allurement comes despite protests by Christian groups who said such measures undermined basic freedoms. The proposed changes to the include a three-year jail term and a US$435 fine for those found guilty of forced religious conversion. It also requires that those wishing to convert need to seek the district administrator’s permission 30 days in advance. But Chhattisgarh’s Bharatiya Janata Party government said it was not possible to make a turnaround on the proposed changes to the act, passed by the state assembly in August and now awaiting the state governor’s approval. “The protest and demonstration by Christian bodies will hardly make any sense, the act has already been passed by the assembly and soon it will become law,” state Home Minister Ramvichar Netam told Reuters. For decades, India’s Hindu nationalists have accused Christian missionaries of bribing poor tribes people and lower castes to change their faith. Christian missionaries have a strong presence in a vast rural forested belt of Chhattisgarh, mainly in the social and education sector. “We oppose the amendment as it is aimed to harass the missionaries and target minority Christians,” said Archbishop Joseph Augustine of Raipur. “It basically violates fundamental rights of the Indian constitution that ensures religious freedom to all citizens.” At least three of India’s 29 states ruled by the BJP or its allies have already enacted similar laws.
