Title: Orissa govt asks
churches to submit conversion data
Author: Imran Khan
Publication: The Observer
of Business And Politics
Date: March 20, 2000
ORISSA Christians are
up in arms against the latest state government circular to churches in
the state, which makes it mandatory on them to furnish five year's data
on conversions.
Describing it as another
conspiracy to make a direct interference on their religious rights, the
Christian leaders made it clear that they would not tolerate this, which
went against the basic character of the secular constitution of the country.
Interestingly, the controversial
circular was sent to the churches in the state during the last days of
the Congress government in the state. Even the earlier notification, which
was sent last year, also had enraged the Christian community.
They hinted about approaching
he President in this regard and id not rule out the possibility of knocking
at the doors of the apex court also in this regard.
"As a pastor, I feel
that it is a violation of the freedom of religion and human rights," Rev
Samson Das of the English Baptist Church, Cuttack, said, while another
Rev Pradeep Kumar Das of the Church of God, Cuttack, said that conversion
as per the Christian view was a matter of change of heart. "How we can
report about somebody's conversion?" he asked and added that it was once
again an interference on our religious matters.
"We are not liable to
report to the state government about somebody's conversion," he said. it
is not that he was alone to protest against the government circular in
regard to the conversion. Christians all over the state have echoed similar
views in this regard.
The church Fathers of
Bhubaneswar to the pastors in tribal-dominated Gajpati district in southern
Orissa to the secretary at the Bishop's House, Balasore, felt that it was
nothing but a move to target Christians in the state. "It is a deliberate
step on the part of the state administration to harass churches in the
state," said an official of the Ganjam Pastor Union in Berhampur, southern
Orissa.
It may be recalled here
that the reported decision of the Orissa government, which asked the churches
to provide it with five-year data on conversions led to several Christian
organisations to term it as a totally unconstitutional step. The national
convenor of the United Christian Forum for Human Rights, John Dayal, in
his letter to the President and the NHRC said that the community had consistently
denounced the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act as being both discriminatory
against the community and violative of the fundamental rights of an Indian
citizen to choose his/her faith. After remaining dormant for several years,
the rules under the Act were arbitarily changed for the worse.
In view of the fact that
Orissa Christian leaders are seeing another conspiracy against the community
by the state administration in its new demand, Indian Evangelical Mission's
Sushil Nayak said, "They do not have any right to ask for this kind of
details."
He further wondered why
they had asked for the conversions data for the last five years and said,
"This is very clearly, part against of a conspiracy Christians." "We are
not going to supply the data. No data at all or figures or facts," he said.
Secretary at Bishop's
House, Balasore, Fr Issac Puthenangady, who received the notification of
district authorities, in his letter dated February 29, 2000, to editors
of local newspapers expressed his unhappiness over the Orissa government
order, preventing conversions without the prior permission from the local
police and district magistrate.
In his reference to the
earlier one page notification dated 26.11.1999 sent to churches across
the state, he said that an individual wishing to convert would have to
face an inquiry from the police as to why he or she wanted to change the
religion.
"The surprising point,
in this notification is that the said order has been issued to only the
churches and not to any other religious heads. This is quite evident enough
of their malafide intentions," he said.
The notification hinted
that in the exercise of the powers confirmed on it by the Orissa Freedom
of Religion Act, the state government made the rules to amend the Freedom
of Religion rules, 1989.
"This amendment is a
tactical move to discourage anyone from converting to Christianity," he
pointed out and said anyone who violated this procedure should be punishable
with imprisonment which might extent to one year or call for a fine.
But in case of conversion
of SC/STs, the punishment shall be imprisonment upto two years and fine
upto Rs 10,000.
