Itanagar, India - Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Gegong Apang today told the Assembly that the State Cabinet would consider if the anti-conversion law enforced in the tribal State in 1978, is to be repealed or substituted by any other law for preservation of culture and tradition of indigenous people.
Participating in a discussion initiated by ruling Congress member and former Chief Minister Mukut Mithi demanding repeal of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1987, the Chief Minister said he had received a memorandum from some leaders of christian community in this respect recently. He had asked the Chief Secretary to process it and put it up before the cabinet at the earliest.
Apang said during the discussion he found members have divergent views on the issue. While some members including Mithi demanded that the Act should be repealed as it has become useless and there had not been a single case of invoking the provision of the Act in the past 28 years, others want to retain it as it is or in amended form so that culture and traditions of the indigenous people are protected.
He said the act is not directed against any particular religion. Inspite of the Act a large number of christians are living in peace. The Act prevents conversion of people from one religion to another by force or through inducements.