Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday condemned the trend of religious conversion in the state and said that his government is committed to protecting the culture of tribals.
Sarma made the remarks while speaking at an event in Guwahati to distribute grant-in-aid of Rs 10 lakh each to 18 organizations working for preserving and promoting indigenous and tribal beliefs and culture, Rs 5 lakh each to 73 places of worship for indigenous and tribals, and Rs 2 crore to the Garchuk-based All Bathou Mahasabha.
“There is a trend of religious conversions observed among many of the indigenous and tribal communities in the Northeast. This has led to the dilution of their traditional beliefs and practices,” Sarma said.
He added that his government is committed to protecting the culture of tribals and that no one should take advantage and convert them to another religion through deceit.
“Article 25 of the Constitution gives the right to freely practice, profess and propagate a religion of one’s choice, but it doesn’t authorise religious conversion through inducement and allurement of any sort,” Sarma said.
He also said that religious conversions have led to the near extinction of many indigenous beliefs and cultures across the world.
“We must ensure that the same does not happen in Assam,” Sarma said.
He urged the people of Assam to preserve and promote their rich indigenous culture and traditions.
“Our culture is our identity. We must protect it at all costs,” Sarma said.
The Chief Minister also announced that his government will set up a separate department for the preservation and promotion of indigenous and tribal culture.
“We will also introduce a bill in the state assembly to regulate religious conversions,” Sarma said.
He said that the bill will be aimed at preventing religious conversions through force, fraud, or allurement.