Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday assured that initiatives would be taken to frame the long-pending rules for the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, 1978 in the northeastern state, which has witnessed concerns over alleged forced or induced religious conversions. Shah made the assurance before a delegation representing the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP), raising hopes for the effective implementation of the legislation. The Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act was enacted in 1978 with the objective of preventing religious conversions carried out through force, inducement or fraudulent means. The Act provides for penalties, including imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to Rs 10,000 for violations.
However, despite being on the statute books for more than four decades, the Act has remained largely non-operational owing to the absence of notified rules, prompting repeated demands from indigenous groups for its implementation. The (IFCSAP) delegation, led by its president Emi Rumi, had met the Union Home Minister at his official residence in New Delhi. During the meeting, the delegation highlighted the urgent need to operationalise the Act, stressing that the absence of notified rules for decades had rendered the law largely ineffective. The delegation sought Shah’s direct intervention to expedite the framing of the rules to strengthen the safeguards meant to protect indigenous faiths, cultures and traditions in the state. In a statement, IFCSAP termed the Home Minister’s assurance as a significant and positive development for indigenous communities in Arunachal Pradesh. It said the proposed move would strengthen the protection of traditional belief systems and cultural practices in the state.
