“The Anti-Conversion Act seeks to protect all religions and preserve indigenous cultures in the state,” Arunachal Pradesh Society for Faith and Culture president Emi Rumi said. Photo: Facebook/Arunachal Pradesh Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society
GUWAHATI
Adherents of indigenous faiths in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday (October 18, 2025) held a rally in the state capital Itanagar to push for the introduction of the 47-year-old anti-conversion law.
The gathering was organized by the Indigenous Belief and Culture Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP).
“More than 10,000 people attended the rally to demand the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act passed in 1978,” the organisation’s vice-president Pai Dawe told The Hindu.
The IFCSAP refuted allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) sponsored the rally.
It also insisted that the law was not against any religion. “It seeks to protect all religions and preserve indigenous cultures in the state,” said its president, Emi Rumi.
However, Christians in the state said the “discriminatory and divisive” law unfairly targets them. The Arunachal Christian Forum opposes its implementation.
Dormant for a decade, the Freedom of Religion Act was back in the limelight in September 2024 when the Gauhati High Court, after hearing a petition, asked the Arunachal Pradesh government to finalize its draft rules within six months. The rules have yet to be drawn up.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu said the court’s directive required the introduction of a law that included provisions for imprisonment and fines for those found guilty of trafficking by force, inducement or fraud.
IFCSAP members said that tribal people are increasingly converting to other religions and without the introduction of the law, indigenous faiths would soon disappear.
According to the Indigenous Faiths Authority, the number of Christians jumped from less than 1% in 1971 to more than 30% in 2011. In the same period, the population of those practicing indigenous faiths and other religions fell from more than 63% to around 26%.
The number of Buddhists in the state has also decreased from about 13% in 1971 to less than 12% in 2011, while the number of Hindus has increased by about 7% to 29.03% in 2011.
Published – 18 Oct 2025 18:42 IST
