Drop 'Anti-Conversion' bill: Archbishop of Bengaluru appeals to CM

Bengaluru: Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado on Monday appealed to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to drop the proposal to introduce 'Anti-Conversion' Bill, expressing fear that it would become a tool for the fringe elements to take law into their own hands and vitiate the atmosphere in the State.

Also, claiming that the Backward Class and Minority Welfare Department has directed administration and Police Intelligence to conduct a survey of religious personnel and places of worship, institutions and establishments only of the Christian Community, he requested that the alleged orders be withdrawn.

"The entire Christian Community in Karnataka opposes the proposal (for anti conversion bill) in one voice and questions the need for such an exercise when sufficient laws and court directives are in place to monitor any aberration of the existing laws," the Archbishop said.

Citing Article 25 and 26 of the constitution, he said, introducing such laws would infringe the rights of the citizens, especially of the minority communities, and moreover, the anti-conversion bill would become a tool for the fringe elements to take law into their own hands and vitiate the atmosphere with communal unrest in the otherwise peaceful State.

"Random and sporadic incidents should not be referred to the entire Christian Community in bad light," Machado said in a statement.

Pointing out that thousands of schools, colleges and hospitals are run and managed by Christian community, providing education and health care to thousands of people, he asked the government to prove that even one of them has ever been influenced, compelled or coerced to change his or her religion.

"Notwithstanding this, if the government is still bent on introducing 'Anti-Conversion' Bill, we are afraid it will only fall into the hands of the undesirable elements and the fringe groups who will target the Christian community and attack our churches and institutions. It is sure to vitiate and bring in communal conflagration and disturb the peace in the society," he added.

Chief Minister Bommai had recently said that the government is seriously considering bringing in a law against religious conversion either by force or through inducement in the state.

State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra told the legislative assembly last month that the government was mulling enacting a law to regulate religious conversion, as a ruling BJP MLA from Hosadurga Goolihatti Shekhar said his own mother has converted to Christianity falling prey to inducement.

BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh already have laws to prevent forcible religious conversion.

Further claiming that the Backward Class and Minority Welfare Department has issued an order to conduct a survey of both official and non-official Christian missionaries and the Institutions and establishments functioning in the state, the Archbishop said, "We fail to understand the compelling need behind such a move."

"However, if the government so desires to have a survey, let it do it. But why only Christian community is targeted and marked for this arbitrary, fallacious and illogical move? When all the relevant data is already available with the Central and the State Governments, why do we need yet another futile exercise?" he said.

Questioning the motive that is driving them to do so, Machado said, the government is in possession of the actual census figures of the community since independence. "If the allegations of rampant conversion across the State is true, why then the number has not increased beyond 1.87 per cent as per the last census figures," he added.Also, stating that the Chief Minister in his response to the media in recent days validated and granted a "tacit sanction" to moral policing as a natural sequence that should be seen through the prism of 'action and reaction', the Archbishop said, "this has only extolled and emboldened the fringe clements and self-styled vigilantes."

Since then, attacks and persecutions have increased in undesirable proportions on the religious minorities in the State, he alleged. Adding, to this, another tool of 'Anti-conversion' law "will only make all hell break loose". "We are witnessing the distressing results of such laws elsewhere in the country," the Archbishop said.

"In view of this and many more factors, we passionately appeal to our Chief Minister, to withdraw the Orders issued by the Backward Class & Minority Welfare Department, and the proposal to introduce 'Anti-Conversion' Bill, and thereby preserve and contribute to the communal peace, tranquility and brotherhood, which is the hallmark of any progressive State," he added.