Christians in the Indian state of Karnataka are pressing the state government to repeal its anti-conversion law. Vartha Bharati reports that Archbishop of Bengaluru Peter Machado announced a large public rally at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on November 9. The rally will demand that the government keep its campaign promises, including repealing the law during the coming winter session of the state legislature and strengthening the law against hate speech.
Machado spoke at a joint press conference on Friday at the Palana Bhavan auditorium in Bengaluru, alongside leaders of the Karnataka State Muslim Federation, the Karnataka State Prantha Raitha Sangha, the Dalit Sangharsha Samiti and other organizations. He said the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, 2022, commonly known as the anti-conversion law, is unconstitutional. According to Vartha Bharati, he said the governing party had promised to repeal the law and had assured supporters it would do so once it strengthened its position in the Legislative Council.
The archbishop said the law does more than regulate religious conversions. It is also affecting peace, law and order, and communal harmony, he said. Vartha Bharati reports that Machado alleged the law is being misused to target Christian prayer meetings and priests, who face attacks and harassment, and that in some cases police have refused to accept complaints about such incidents. He criticized the government for staying silent after three years in office without repealing the law, and he called on it to protect religious freedom and ensure equal justice for all communities.
Machado also said incidents of hatred, threats and violence against minority communities are reported regularly. He urged the state government and its Home Department to take the problem seriously and to file criminal cases against those involved in hate speech. Suhail Ahmed Maroor, convener of the Karnataka State Muslim Federation, said the government had failed to address the demands of minorities and Dalits after three years, including the restoration of Muslim reservation under Category 2B, and he urged people to join the rally.
The organizers said Karnataka has a rich tradition of religious, cultural and linguistic diversity, and that its strength lies in people of different faiths living together with dignity and mutual respect. Their listed demands are to repeal the anti-conversion law, restore Muslim reservation under Category 2B, take strict action against hate speech and prevent atrocities against minority communities. Pray for believers in India who face pressure for sharing their faith, and for those in authority there, as 1 Timothy 2:1-2 directs.
Read 1 Timothy 2:1-2
