Arunachal Freedom of Religion Act: Christian forum’s meeting with state HM remains inconclusive
Itanagar: Amid the ongoing agitation against the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), 1978 by the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF), top leaders of the convention on Friday held its first meeting with the state’s Home Minister Mama Natung which, however, remained inconclusive.
After the crucial meeting, ACF President Tarh Miri said that the Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Natung said that the government would continue to discuss their issues and would hold the next round of meeting soon.
“The Home Minister said that the government, following the Gauhati High Court order, has to frame the rules to implement the APFRA, 1978. However, he said that the state government would continue to discuss the issue with ACF,” Miri told IANS.
He said that as per their prior announcement, the ACF would hold a peaceful demonstration in front of the state Assembly on March 6 demanding to repeal the APFRA and then they would take the next course of action.
The ACF on February 17 observed an eight-hour-long hunger strike at NIIS Nyokum Ground in Borum in Naharlagun Circle to protest the implementation of the APFRA, 1978.
The ACF, apex body of the Christians in Arunachal Pradesh, has been agitating against the implementation of the APFRA, 1978, claiming that the law, when implemented, would harm the Christians in the state and curtail their freedom of religion.
As per the 2011 census, the Christian population in Arunachal Pradesh is 4.19 lakh (30.26 per cent) of the total population of the state’s 13.84 lakh.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu urged the people of the state not to ‘misinterpret’ the APFRA, 1978, for which the rules are being framed following the orders of the Gauhati High Court.
In his address during the 39th Statehood Day celebration in Itanagar on Thursday, the Chief Minister said that the Act, which was passed in the Assembly in 1978 under the first chief minister of the state, P.K. Thungon, when Arunachal Pradesh was a Union Territory, is not against any religion but to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the state.
“Since 1978, the Act has remained in a two-page document only. Rules weren’t framed. However, when an individual took it to the Gauhati High Court, the Court (Itanagar bench) ordered the state government to frame the rules within six months. The department concerned and the state government is abiding by the court’s directives and the initial draft is being prepared,” he said.
The Chief Minister assured that the Act would not be against any religion but for the good of all. He regretted that some people were misinterpreting it by giving it political and religious colours.
“Some people are misinterpreting it on social media and mainstream media platforms. This is not good for the peace and communal harmony in the state,” Khandu observed.
The Chief Minister said that the doors of the state government are always open for queries and consultations to clear all misgivings about the Act.
