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Rajasthan moves to ban religious conversion
JAIPUR: A western Indian state passed a controversial bill on Friday prohibiting religious conversions, bringing renewed focus on an issue that has triggered communal violence and been used as a political tool.
Authorities in Rajasthan state, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said it was banning religious conversions because they were weakening communal harmony.
"Some religious institutions, bodies and individuals are involved in unlawful conversion by allurement or by fraudulent means or forcibly," Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajasthan's interior minister, said.
"In order to curb such illegal activities and to maintain harmony, we have enacted a special law."
Any breach of the new proposal could be punished with up to five years in prison and a hefty fine, he said.
The act was passed by the state lawmakers, but still needs to be ratified by the governor to take effect.
JAIPUR: A western Indian state passed a controversial bill on Friday prohibiting religious conversions, bringing renewed focus on an issue that has triggered communal violence and been used as a political tool.
Authorities in Rajasthan state, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said it was banning religious conversions because they were weakening communal harmony.
"Some religious institutions, bodies and individuals are involved in unlawful conversion by allurement or by fraudulent means or forcibly," Gulab Chand Kataria, Rajasthan's interior minister, said.
"In order to curb such illegal activities and to maintain harmony, we have enacted a special law."
Any breach of the new proposal could be punished with up to five years in prison and a hefty fine, he said.
The act was passed by the state lawmakers, but still needs to be ratified by the governor to take effect.
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