In the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which has seen concerns over alleged coerced or induced religious conversions, Union Home Minister Amit Shah promised on Monday that steps will be taken to draft the long-pending regulations for the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978. In front of a group from the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP), Shah made the promise, inspiring optimism for the legislation’s successful execution. The goal of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, which was passed in 1978, was to stop religious conversions that were carried out by coercion, fraud, or force. Penalties under the Act include up to two years in prison and a fine of up to Rs 10,000 for infractions.
Indigenous organisations have repeatedly demanded that the Act be implemented, but after being on the statute books for more than 40 years, it has remained virtually non-operational due to the lack of notified provisions. The Union Home Minister was visited at his official residence in New Delhi by the (IFCSAP) delegation, which was headed by its president, Emi Rumi. The delegation emphasised the urgent need to operationalise the Act during the discussion, pointing out that the statute has been essentially ineffective for decades due to the lack of declared rules.In order to improve the safeguards intended to protect indigenous faiths, cultures, and traditions in the state, the delegation requested Shah’s direct intervention in order to speed up the draughting of the regulations. IFCSAP described the Home Minister’s guarantee in a statement as a noteworthy and encouraging move for Arunachal Pradesh’s indigenous communities. It said that the planned action will improve the state’s safeguards for customs and traditional beliefs.
