Anti-conversion: Bibles, crosses seized & displayed as illegal artifacts, alleges Christian organisation

Kozhikode: The Kerala Catholics Bishop’s Council (KCBC) alleged that the BJP-ruled states in north India are widely misusing ant-religious conversion laws to suppress people belonging to minority religions under the leadership of extremist Hindutva organisations. KCBC mouthpiece Deepika says that Bibles, prayer books, crucifixes, etc., used privately by monks, priests and believers are being seized during raids and were exhibited as a major violation of the law.

The article, by Deepika, is in the context of the controversial anti-conversion law implemented in nine BJP-ruled states, which is also set to come alive in Rajasthan. It pointed out that such legislative enactments and court interventions are completely contrary to Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the right to believe in and propagate the religion of one's choice. This law paves the way for the denial of religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution of India, which is a serious constitutional violation. Most recently, a special court in Ambedkar Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, sentenced Jose Pappachan and Sheeja Pappachan to five years in prison and a fine of Rs 25,000 each for attempting to convert people.

The local BJP leadership was angered by the celebration of Christmas among the tribals on December 25, 2022, which has the involvement of the couple. Subsequently, Chandrika Prasad, the BJP’s district secretary, filed a complaint at the Jalalpur police station, and a police case was registered. The couple had to spend the entire trial period in jail after being charged under sections 3 and 5 (1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Conversion Act. The court found them guilty after it became clear from the statements of the villagers that they had committed “criminal acts” such as visiting the village, preaching about the Christian faith, distributing Bibles, cutting cakes and distributing sweets on Christmas, and displaying a picture of Infant Jesus at the place where the Christmas celebration was held.

The new bill introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly is almost identical to the widely abused anti-conversion laws of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. As per the law, a person has to wait for months to voluntarily convert and submit an application to the district collector two months in advance, and the person who is going to be the one to carry out the conversion process one month in advance. Even lapses in this regard can lead to imprisonment of up to three and five years and a fine of not less than ten thousand and twenty-five thousand, respectively.