Chhattisgarh State government will introduce an anti-conversion law or may introduce amendments to the existing law to deal with the long pending issue of illegal conversion in the ongoing session of the State assembly, informed minister for Culture, School and Higher Education, Parliamentary affairs, Tourism and Religious Trust and Endowments, Brijmohan Agarwal in assembly.
The announcement was made during Agarwal’s speech in the house on Wednesday February 14, where he also disclosed about the government intent to improve the quality of education in the State by launching various schemes and filling the empty seats in the education department.
The minister during his speech informed that “efforts are being made to alter the demography of the State via foreign funding and a “Dharm Swatantrya Vidheyak” (Freedom of Religion bill) will be brought in order to prevent such activities and to put a full stop on “illegal conversion”.
Speaking with the media outside the assembly, Agarwal asserted that there is a Dharm Swatantra Vidheyak (Religion Freedom bill) law which already exists but it is toothless, and it doesn’t create fears in the hearts of those who carry out acts of conversion, a law is that which should be able to stop the crime.
“We will introduce a Dharm Swatantra Vidheyak which will create fears in the hearts of those people who dares to break the law, it will stop the illegal conversion which takes place in Chhattisgarh on behest of money and lure alongside putting a halt on the growing enmity within the society out of it”, added, Agarwal.
Chief Minister Sai confirms move
Meanwhile taking it further, the Chief Minister (CM) Vishnu Deo Sai in a post on social media on Thursday, February 15 informed that his government will be soon introducing an anti-conversion law to close the illegal play of conversion in the State.
“Illegal conversion has emerged as a serious issue in Chhattisgarh, especially the tribal dominated regions of Surguja and Bastar have been witnessing nasty attempts of illegal conversion aimed at messing around the culture and dignity of the tribal people, said CM Sai.
छत्तीसगढ़ में अवैध धर्मांतरण एक बड़ी समस्या के रूप में सामने आया है। विशेषकर बस्तर एवं सरगुजा जैसे जनजातीय बहुल इलाकों में अवैध धर्मांतरण का कुत्सित कार्य कर आदिवासियों की अस्मिता एवं संस्कृति के साथ खिलवाड़ किया जा रहा था।
हमारी सरकार ने निर्णय लिया है कि धर्मांतरण के कुत्सित… pic.twitter.com/1BowCMj7Mw
— Vishnu Deo Sai (@vishnudsai) February 15, 2024
It is worth mentioning here, that earlier the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit of Chhattisgarh State had also informed that preparations are underway to stringently enact the already existing law on conversion and that the incumbent government may adopt measures to increase the duration of the punishment for the said offence.
“Those who carried out conversion will get strict punishment in Chhattisgarh; the Sai government is tough on conversion; 10 years’ jail term for those who promote conversion; the government is preparing to stringent the provisions,” read a poster shared by the State unit of the BJP on January 30.
Notably, earlier CM Sai, while launching a vicious attack on the mission-backed conversion had remarked that the missionaries are in a dominant position in Chhattisgarh and large-scale conversions are promoted by them. “Missionaries are in dominance; they are a dominant force in education and healthcare, and their ramifications are that they promote conversion under the pretext of providing health and education facilities. It will be stopped, and Hindutva will get new power”, said CM Sai while addressing a gathering in a private ceremony in Chhattisgarh’s capital, Raipur on January 28
It is to be noted that earlier, the deputy CM of the State, Arun Sao had also hinted that the incumbent government is mulling over a permanent solution to the conversion issue under the constitutional framework.
It is pertinent to mention here that the tribal heartland of Chhattisgarh has been buzzing with reports of illegal conversion and communal flare-ups between the communities over issues pertaining to illegal conversion from separate corners of the State in recent few years.
Additionally, the state has also witnessed wide scale protest from the tribal community in support of a de-listing exercise to fix the issue of reservation benefits being availed by those who have converted to other religion, an issue born out of rampant illegal conversion according to the flagbearers of such protests.
