Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) [India], October 19 (ANI): Thousands of Arunachal Pradesh’s Indigenous people, representing 27 districts, 26 major tribes, and 100 subtribes, marched in traditional attire to Itanagar, the capital city, on Saturday to demand the implementation of the Anti-Conversion Act, APFRA 1978, which Christians in the state strongly oppose.
The Indigenous people of Arunachal, who are becoming a minority due to the spread of Christianity, worship Donyi Polo, where “Donyi” means “sun” and “Polo” means “moon”.
IFCSAP Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh President Emi Rumi, speaking to the media, said that the indigenous faith believers organised the rally to demand full-fledged implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA) to save the indigenous faith and tradition of the state.
“This Act was introduced in 1978, within four months of the State Assembly’s maiden session, for the welfare of the indigenous tribal society. Despite repeated requests, it has not been implemented yet,” the President said.
He said the APFRA got the presidential assent within a short period, but successive governments paid “lip service” to the indigenous faith believers. “If it is implemented, we will be able to preserve and maintain our culture, tradition, and rituals,” he added.
Members of the IFCSAP said the tribal people were increasingly converting to other religions, and without the APFRA in place, the indigenous faiths would soon become extinct.
On February 17, members of the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) staged an eight-hour hunger strike against the APFRA in Itanagar. Among the participants were some MLAs, who also held a rally opposing this act.
According to ACF President Tarh Miri, the APFRA violates the freedom to hold faith and religious beliefs. “Anti-conversion law is enforced in 11 states. We oppose this Act as it is only against Christianity,” he said, adding the enforcement of the APFRA would create hatred among the people who “should be free to change faith”.
Earlier, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said a directive from the Gauhati High Court has necessitated the implementation of the APFRA. In September 2024, the court asked the government to finalise the Act’s draft rules within six months.
Advocate SD Loda, the keynote speaker of the mega rally, stated that we don’t want to become the next Mizoram or Nagaland, where all got converted. The originality of indigenous and ethnic tribes and their beliefs was taken away by a foreign religion with propaganda.
Professor Nani Bath, speaking to the media, stated that this APFRA 1978 Act is not against any religion and will act as a shield for the indigenous faith believers to get converted by the lurement of appeasement policies of outsiders.
The Gauhati High Court gave a deadline to the BJP state government in Arunachal to finalise the draft for implementation of the APFRA 1978 Act by the end of this month, but the large Christian population is strongly against this act, citing its impact on their religious activity, and the Act will target Christian preachers in the state.
The APFRA Act is the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978. The law prohibits religious conversions carried out through “force, inducement, or by any fraudulent means” and includes provisions for penalties. The law’s revival and implementation after decades of being dormant have been a subject of significant debate and protest in the state.
Key provisions of the Act
Prohibition of forced conversion: The Act prohibits religious conversions that occur against a person’s will or through coercive methods.
Indigenous faith recognition: It specifically recognises indigenous faiths and aims to safeguard the traditional religious practices of the state’s native communities, such as Buddhism (among certain groups), Donyi-Polo worship, and Vaishnavism (as practised by the Noctes and Akas).
Mandatory reporting: The law mandates that any religious conversion must be reported. (ANI)
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