Anti-Conversion law: The schism grows

By Cynthia Stephen

There has been a flareup in violent incidents against Christians (over 39 in the last one year) in Karnataka following the takeover of the new BJP CM, Basavaraj Bommai. He has also pushed through a draft bill to regulate conversions and prevent “forcible conversions”. The Bill was passed in the assembly but hasn’t been tabled in the upper house because the government presently lacks a majority to pass it easily. It is likely to be tabled after the swearing in of the new MLCs and in the next session which is likely to be later this month.

Those in favour of the bill ask: “If there’s nothing wrong happening, why should you worry? Just register with the DC and go ahead with the conversion when the due date arrives!” Also some feel that Christians seem to be more worried than the rest, and point out that the Bill doesn’t mention any religion -- it applies equally to every religious conversion.

The best answer to this is the major incident of violence that occurred in Tukkanahatti village of Gokak taluk in Belagavi district on 29th December 2021 when two Dalit families were praying together in the home of one of the families. Five persons, including three women, were injured severely and are undergoing treatment. Seven persons responsible were named in the complaint and have been arrested under many sections including the SC/ ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. One woman was stripped by an assailant, who abused her calling her and theother women “prostitutes”.

Another woman had boiling sambar thrown over her and was beaten on her legs with the hot vessel as well. A gold chain was snatched from one of the nephews who was also attacked by the assailants. The families had been praying in their homes, as they did every year just before the year ended.

The immediate trigger for this bill, and for the flare-up in violence, is the allegation by Goolihatti Shekar, MLA of Hosadurga in Chitradurga district. He alleged in the House that large-scale “forcible conversions” were going on in his district and his mother was also a “victim” of such forced conversions. Soon the government issued circulars to the police department to identify “illegal” churches in the state. The government also asked for surveys to identify how many people had been converted forcibly in each district. The police departments in all districts responded that no illegal churches were found in their jurisdiction. According to The Hindu, Hosadurga’s tahsildar, Y Thippeswamy, went to two villages along with the Circle Inspector and his staff, one each in Srirampura hobli and another in Madadakere hobli, and found that in 30 families in one and 12 in another had converted.

When asked why, they replied that they had accepted the religion voluntarily for “mental peace and happiness”, and that they were “neither forced nor lured”. Thippeswamy said that these findings were “conveyed to the senior officers orally.” The survey was consequently called off. A few weeks later, Thippeswamy was transferred. It appears that Bommai has taken up this task for two reasons: to impress his political bosses, the RSS, of his saffron credentials, and also to try and divert attention from the series of poll debacles and scandals dogging him ever since he took over four months ago.

It’s clear that the legislation is merely a smokescreen for the already prevalent bias in the establishment against the Christian and Muslim minorities, Dalits, and women. Similar laws in UP and Gujarat criminalise inter-religious marriage and are under challenge in the Supreme Court.

The Karnataka law department based their draft on these laws. It is also remarkable that the Karnataka law prescribes very harsh punishments – up to ten years for “forcibly converting” any SC/ST, woman or minor. The definition of “allurement” in the law is so vague that even offering education or healthcare or to pray for a sick person can be termed allurement and punished.

The Tukkanahatti incidents clearly illustrate how this law will embolden the opponents among the majority community and provoke vigilante action against exercise of the fundamental rights to freedom of religion and conscience by Dalits, women, adivasis, and other vulnerable sections like Christians and Muslims. It infantilises women and interferes with their freedom of choice of religion or marital partner.

Thus this law is an assault on the dignity, autonomy, and fundamental and constitutional freedoms of the vulnerable sections and tries to reinforce age-old and traditional restraints on their freedom. It has no place under our republican democracy and violates our Constitution. It has to go.

(Cynthia Stephen is an independent journalist and human righ