Minorities particularly the Indian Christians and the Indian Muslims have frequently been threatened verbally and assaulted physically by the far-right wing Hindu fundamentalists vis- à-vis Hintutvawadis, the BJP-ruled states including the government at the Centre.
The so- called Hindu outfits even went to the extent of vandalizing and ransacking the churches and mosques. Over and above, these militant outfits and corroded mind-sets forced them to chant jaisriram.
For instance, in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Goa more such incidences occur and have become new-normal. Even in other states Christians and Muslims are not safe.
Why such incidences keep happening? How come they are not contained? What then is the way out? These are questions that rage at large. Apparently, the ruling BJP government in Karnataka on the 23rd of December 2021, passed the controversial bill on anti-conversion, which aims to curb ‘illegal’ religious conversions from Hinduism to Christianity and Islam. Accordingly, the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021was passed in the assembly on the 21st of December, 2021, by voice vote. However, it should get the nod from the Karnataka State Council to become an Act.
Knowing well it may not get approval of the majority in the Legislative Council, the BJP Government in Karnataka in the recently concluded Belagavi session refrained to table the bill and is now exploring ordinance route.
Anti-Conversion Bill/Act has literally thrown open a few serious challenges to the minorities in India. A few pertinent questions that loom at large are: Why should the Indian Christians be scared of conversion? When asked those who blame Christians and Muslims blaming the Indian Church and Christian organizations involved in conversion; but when asked to produce data and witnesses to substantiate their charges, they hardly have.
This show that what they utter are blatant lies. RSS-BJP is serious in passing anti-conversion laws is primarily to curtail the activities of Muslims and Christians who it thinks that they are the major avenues.
RSS-BJP must have been scared and alarmed by their own data they collected or have. The forces of Hindutva are desperate to legislate against conversion because they know that the Hindu demographic landscape could change in the years and decades to come, if not contained now.
Therefore, the best way is to legislate the whole gamut of conversion. Whatever may be the compelling reasons, the fact of the truth is RSS-BJP fear that Christianity has the innate capacity, powerful message and in-built dynamism to propel
changes within – could be due to the power of the Gospel and the proclamation of the WORD.
Further, they do recognize the very fact that Christianity has the in-built dynamism to grow
faster. As against these probabilities, the RSS-BJP might have got the information from the
intelligence agencies or from its own sources that number of conversions keep increasing to
Christianity and Islam, though the 2011 data shows the reverse.
This why BJP-RSS gets alarmed by the changing contours of socio-religio eco-space. But the irony is many Christians and leaders give-in to their litany, apologetic and falling into the traps of RSS-BJP.
This is how the Hindutva forces and Hindutva wadis operate instilling fear amongst the
people by first attacking, lynching, brutalizing and vandalizing those who subscribe to Islam
and Christianity.
Therefore, when anti-conversion becomes the law which they want to use as a tool since it defines mass conversion as converting two or more people at a time.
Under the law, repeat offenders (those previously convicted under the new Act) will get imprisonment of not less than five years and a fine of Rs. 2 lakh rupees.
These penal provisions will also be applicable to institutions indulging in forceful conversion.
Persons in-charge of the institutions will be held accountable and tried under the new law.
In
the event of legal conversion, the bill seeks to record the new religion of converts and also the
government is geared to reclassify the person converted for entitlement to enjoy social status
or to receive economic benefits he/she was getting prior to conversion.
All these are with a view to bring back people who converted to Islam and Christianity from
Hinduism through Ghar Vapsi (home coming). RSS-BJP and the right-wing outfits to stop
conversion from Hinduism to other religion and so the incentives that are attached to those
communities would automatically be removed the moment they change their religion from
Hinduism.
The law enforces that those guilty of forceful conversion to pay a maximum
compensation of up to Rs. 5 lakhs to the victims.
In case of mass conversion, the guilty will be punished with an imprisonment to three years,
which may be extended up to 10 years, and a fine of Rs. 1 lakh. It is also intending a separate
law to curb ‘love jihad’, a term used to accuse men from other religion of converting Hindu
women by marriage. Religion is personal and to whichever religion one subscribes it is
absolutely her/his freedom of choice.
In this rubric wherein one’s personal freedom and the choice are enjoined and enshrined in the Constitution is being throttled tantamount to
obstructing one’s basic fundamental rights.
If people want to get converted from one religion to the other, it is their personal freedom and
have the right to embrace any religion they want.
If conversion is carried out through luring
and dubious ways and means, it can be brought before the law.
RSS-BJP is scared as there are conversions taking up without any luring and incentives and there are no data and evidence to prove that Christians or Muslims are engaged in individual or mass conversions.
Based on their apprehensions, RSS-BJP want to safeguard and to protect its vision of Hindu Rashtra.
However, conversion is one’s basic right and so, as Indians the State has no right to interfere. It is so weird and bizarre to hear that the BJP Government of Karnataka and others has plans to initiate a separate law for ‘love jihad’ soon after anti-convention bill.
On this, RSS-BJP has gone a bit extreme of even controlling those falling in love by forgetting that ‘love’ per se tends to transcend religion. Love shall never be constricted or confined within a rubric of conditionalities. It is ludicrous how our law makers stoop down so low to control love, which is a natural human instinct that goes beyond all controls, conditionalities and boundaries.
It is not going to be an easy task for the law-enforcing agencies to monitor or surveille who’s falling in love with who. This move is going to empower the far-right Hindu fundamentalists and vigilantes to take law into their hands to their advantage.
Law enforcement agencies with tainted mind-set and the divisive ideology would harass Christians and Muslims in varied ways. Nonetheless, the Indian citizens have the right to embrace any religion or renounce any religion as they want. It is their constitutional right. Hence those who want to get converted to Christianity on their own will have the right to embrace. On this, there should not be any compromise or fear or bargain.
However, as Isaac Asimov reflects that “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” At this juncture for Christians it becomes increasingly important to hold the Bible on the one hand, while on other, the Indian Constitution.
Writer: Dr. I. John Mohan Razu Professor of Social Ethics.
*The view of writer is its own and don’t reflect to the opinion/Views of Prime Post
