In a significant development Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu has announced that his government was framing rules to implement the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, which would prohibit religious conversion by use of force or inducement or by fraudulent means. There are many indian states who have been considering the necessity of such lwas. Prominent among them is Karnataka. Forceful religious conversion is a big blow to the democratic values of a country.
It is significant that the Act was passed by the state Assembly and received the President’s assent in 1978 amid debates on the effects of missionary activities in foothill areas on the state’s tribes and “indigenous religions” of the region. The act remained dormant since then as the state had failed to frame rule to implement it.
In response to a petition filed by former IFCSAP general secretary Tambo Tamin against the state government for failing to frame the requisite rules for over 45 years after the enactment of the law, the Itanagar bench of the Gauhati High Court had in September directed the state to finalise draft rules for the Act within a period of six months from the order.
He underscored the importance of preserving the state’s distinct cultural and faith traditions, citing examples of indigenous tribes and cultures disappearing globally.
The government had set up the department of Indigenous Affairs in 2017 to protect and promote indigenous cultures, languages, and institutions, in collaboration with the IFCSAP and community-based organisations (CBOs). Mr Khandu praised the IFCSAP and other local volunteers for their dedicated efforts in cultural preservation.
He also flagged that the responsibility for protecting Arunachal’s indigenous culture and faith lies not only with the government but also with the state’s 26 major tribes.
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