Christians hold peaceful dharna against anti-conversion law in Arunachal

Itanagar: Thousands of people under the banner of the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) held a peaceful dharna near Itanagar in protest against the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), 1978, an anti-conversion law.

ACF president Tarh Miri said that over two lakh Christians, cutting across denominations, gathered at Borum near Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar.

The ACF, an apex body of Christians in Arunachal Pradesh, has been agitating against the implementation of the APFRA, 1978, claiming that the law, when implemented, would harm Christians in the state and curtail their freedom of religion.

Miri said that initially, the ACF was supposed to stage a gherao near the state Assembly where the Budget Session is going on but later, they sought permission to organise the demonstration at the tennis court (in Itanagar), where permission was denied.

The ACF on February 17 observed an eight-hour-long hunger strike at NIIS Nyokum Ground in Borum in Naharlagun Circle to protest the implementation of the Act.

Amid the ongoing agitation against APFRA, 1978, top leaders of the ACF led by Miri on February 21 held its first meeting with the state’s Home Minister Mama Natung which, however, remained inconclusive.

After the crucial meeting, the ACF president had said that the Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister had assured that the government would continue to discuss their issues and would hold the next round of talks soon.

“The Home Minister had said that the government, following the Gauhati High Court order, has to frame the rules to implement the APFRA, 1978. However, he said that the state government would continue to discuss the issue with ACF,” Miri told IANS.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu earlier urged the people of the state not to ‘misinterpret’ the APFRA, 1978, for which the rules are being framed following the orders of the Gauhati High Court.

The Chief Minister had said that the Act, which was passed in the Assembly in 1978 under the first chief minister of the state, P.K. Thungon, when Arunachal Pradesh was a Union Territory, is not against any religion but to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the state.

“Since 1978, the Act has remained a two-page document only. Rules weren’t framed. However, when an individual took it to the Gauhati High Court, the Court (Itanagar Bench) ordered the state government to frame the rules within six months. The department concerned and the state government is abiding by the court’s directives and the initial draft is being prepared,” he had said.

The Chief Minister assured that the Act would not be against any religion but for the good of all.

He regretted that some people were misinterpreting it by giving it political and religious colours.

“Some people are misinterpreting it on social media and mainstream media platforms. This is not good for the peace and communal harmony of the state,” Khandu observed.

The Chief Minister had said that the doors of the state government were always open for queries and consultations to clear all misgivings about the Act.

IANS