Reverse flow in Assam

India’s anti-conversion laws are disguised as protective laws against fraudulent or forcible change from one to another religion and challenge Article 25 of the Indian constitution which guarantees freedom of conscience and free profession and propagation of religion to every citizen. The anti-conversion laws in practice, are applied whenever any non-Muslim, non-Christian or animist(s) accept or embrace Islam or Christianity. Used against Islam, the charges are generally love jihad, or conversion through marriage. Against Christians it is generally fraud or force. If applied in letter and in spirit, the anti-conversion laws should also apply whenever any Muslim, Christian changes one’s religion to Hinduism. However, whenever tribal or scheduled caste families who have been Christians since centuries, are “re-converted” to Hinduism through force; it is legitimised under ‘ghar wapsi’ and the anti-conversion law is not applicable perhaps because there is need for an anti-reconversion law. no action can be taken. Over the years, several states enacted “Freedom of Religion” legislation to restrict religious conversions carried out by force, inducements or fraud. “Freedom of Religion” laws are currently in force in eight states in India, namely Odisha (1967), Madhya Pradesh (1968), Arunachal Pradesh (1978), Chhattisgarh (2000 and 2006), Gujarat (2003), Himachal Pradesh (2006 and 2019), Jharkhand (2017), and Uttarakhand (2018). In the church context, Christianity is not a religious culture but a personal relationship based on acceptance of Christ as saviour. Even children born of Christian parents don’t become Christians unless they are converted and baptised. If the anti-conversion law is strictly applied even in such cases, then any ordained church functionary who converts persons from Christian families and gets them baptised, can be arrested under the law. Today, the atmosphere throughout the country is surcharged with highly inflammable communal speeches targeting religious minorities. It is also very unfortunate, that under the ruling BJP, Assam is becoming as a launch pad for ‘hindutva-ising’ other north eastern states particularly, Christian majority states like Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya. In recent years, the ruling government in Assam is trying not to be left behind in reasserting majoritarianism in a state which has been the crucible of liberal education and pluralistic cultural transformation of the region. In recent years, especially after the BJP came to power in Assam, the import of intolerance and hatred is showing. Recently, a Hindu group – Kutumba Surakshya Parishad (family safety council)- has issued an ultimatum on Christian schools in Jorhat, Guwahati to rid themselves of all Christian symbols including religious habits and cassocks. The president of KSP, Satya Ranjan Borah accused Christian missionaries of converting schools and educational institutes into religious institutes. The KSP is also demanding that churches located within school complexes to be removed as per the report in an English news portal. Another outfit, the Janajati Dharma Sanskriti Suraksha Manch, an affiliate of the BJP’s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been demanding enactment of anti-conversion law in Assam. Though chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has been reassuring Christians, yet there seem to be no let up in such actions directed against Christian religious institutions. It will do well to understand the observation that “the most sinister and oppressive states in the world are those that use God to control the minds and actions of their populations”, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia.