7 months ago
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GUWAHATI
Followers of indigenous faiths successful Arunachal Pradesh held a rally successful the State’s capital, Itanagar, connected Saturday (October 18, 2025) to property for the implementation of a 47-year-old anti-conversion law.
The rally was organised by the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP).
“More than 10,000 radical took portion successful the rally to request the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act passed successful 1978,” the organisation’s Vice-President, Pai Dawe, told The Hindu.
The IFCSAP debunked allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) patronised the rally.
It besides insisted that the Act was not against immoderate religion. “It seeks to support each religions and sphere the indigenous cultures successful the State,” its president Emi Rumi said.
The State’s Christians, however, said the “discriminatory and divisive” Act unfairly targets them. The Arunachal Christian Forum has been opposing its implementation.
Dormant for decades, the Freedom of Religion Act was backmost successful the spotlight successful September 2024 erstwhile the Gauhati High Court, proceeding a petition, asked the Arunachal Pradesh authorities to finalise its draught rules wrong six months. The rules person yet to beryllium drafted.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the tribunal directive made it indispensable to instrumentality the Act that has provisions for imprisonment and fines for those recovered blameworthy of converting radical by force, inducement, oregon fraud.
Members of the IFCSAP said tribal radical were progressively converting to different religions, and without the Act successful place, indigenous faiths would soon go extinct.
According to the indigenous religion body, the fig of Christians jumped from little than 1% successful 1971 to much than 30% successful 2011. During the aforesaid period, the colonisation of those pursuing indigenous faiths and different religions dipped from much than 63% to astir 26%.
The fig of Buddhists successful the State besides decreased from astir 13% successful 1971 to little than 12% successful 2011, portion the fig of Hindus accrued by astir 7% to 29.03% successful 2011.
