Photo Courtesy: nenews
Itanagar: The People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) is demanding a special state assembly session to debate the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA). The party formally opposed the law during an executive meeting on June 11, shortly after a committee led by retired Justice BP Katakey submitted draft rules for the legislation.
Passed in 1978, the APFRA was designed to prohibit religious conversions involving force or fraud, yet it remained dormant for decades due to a lack of formal rules. PPA president Nabam Vivek questioned the government's push to gather data on the religious affiliations of its citizens. He argued that there is no administrative necessity for the state to track whether individuals follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, or Sikhism.
Vivek warned that enforcing the outdated law threatens the stability of the region. He stated, "Implementing it could disturb the communal harmony, tribal unity and peaceful social fabric that the state has preserved over the years." The PPA leader emphasized that the act fails to protect tribal identity and instead risks creating divisions within communities.
The Human Rights of Arunachal (HRA) has also joined the opposition. In a memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the group urged the BJP government to abandon the committee's recommendations. The HRA cautioned that moving forward with the act could undermine the state's tradition of peaceful coexistence and foster mistrust between different faiths.
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