Itanagar, June 8:
The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has announced a mass vehicle rally in Itanagar on June 18, escalating its opposition to the proposed implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), 1978, and the draft rules recently finalized for its enforcement.
The rally is expected to draw participants from districts across Arunachal Pradesh and is being organized as part of the forum's continuing campaign against the APFRA framework, which has emerged as one of the most debated issues in the state.
The announcement comes at a significant juncture, with the High-Powered Committee (HPC) constituted by the State Government having finalized the draft rules under the Act and submitted its report and recommendations to Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday.
The submission marks the culmination of months of consultations, deliberations, and stakeholder engagements undertaken after the government initiated the process of framing rules for the implementation of the legislation. Although APFRA was enacted by the Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 1978 and subsequently received Presidential assent, it remained largely dormant for nearly five decades due to the absence of operational rules.
The Act was originally introduced to prohibit religious conversions carried out through force, fraud, or inducement. However, without an implementation framework, successive governments did not operationalize the legislation.
The issue regained prominence in recent years following demands from several indigenous organizations and cultural bodies, which argued that implementation of the Act was necessary to safeguard indigenous faiths, traditional practices, and cultural identities.
According to sources familiar with the proceedings, the HPC examined suggestions and feedback from indigenous organizations, community leaders, government departments, legal experts, and religious groups before unanimously adopting the final draft report.
One of the key recommendations approved by the committee is the extension of the reporting period for religious conversions. Under the revised draft, any individual undergoing religious conversion will be required to submit the prescribed declaration within three months, providing a more practical and flexible timeline than earlier proposals.
The committee has also incorporated a specific provision clarifying that the rules shall apply equally to all religions and communities, irrespective of faith or denomination, with the aim of ensuring uniform implementation of the law. In addition, the draft rules reportedly include procedures relating to the reporting and documentation of religious conversions, timelines for filing complaints, and mechanisms for inquiry and verification.
The ACF, however, has remained firmly opposed to the move. The forum had earlier served a 15-day ultimatum to the State Government demanding an immediate halt to the rule-making process and calling for wider consultations with stakeholders before any decision on implementation is taken.
Forum leaders have expressed concerns that certain provisions of the proposed rules could affect constitutional guarantees relating to freedom of religion and individual rights. They have also questioned the adequacy of consultations conducted during the drafting process and urged the government to reconsider its approach.
With the June 18 vehicle rally expected to witness large-scale participation from across the state, the issue is likely to remain at the centre of public discourse in the coming weeks as both supporters and opponents of the proposed rules continue to press their respective positions on the future of the APFRA framework.
