Ranchi (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Tomorrow, September 23, Jharkhand Christians, along with Muslims and Sikhs, will peacefully protest against the anti-conversion law approved by the State Assembly. Fr. Michael Kerketta, Indian theologian and professor at Ranchi, where the event will take place, reports that some Hindus will also join religious minorities to denounce that the law violates the religious freedom of the citizens and risks bringing the country to a sectarian divide. The norm, he says, "is a tool to curb freedom of worship and continue to exacerbate and polarize Indian society."
According to the theologian, "the measure afflicts all minority religious communities. It is our duty to denounce an injustice that violates freedom of conscience and is against the Constitution. " Fr. Kerketta points out that just over a month after the approval, the divisive effects of the norm are already evident, as evidenced by the incident involving the archbishop of Ranchi, Card. Telesphore P. Toppo, whose dummy was "set on fire" by Hindu radicals. The episode was denounced last week by Mgr. Theodore Mascarenhas, secretary general of the Indian Bishops' Conference (Cbci). He spoke out against the climate of intolerance triggered by chief minister Raghubar Das, exponent of the Bjp party (Bharatiya Janata Party), the same as Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "If the spiral of hatred is not immediately put under control," said Msgr. Macarenhas – it could bring the state and its population to a path of violence and hatred. "
In August, Jharkhand became the ninth state of India to approve and enforce a law punishing all conversions to religions other than Hinduism. The first State Assembly to pass such a measure was that of Orissa in 1967, followed by Madhya Pradesh (1968) and Arunachal Pradesh (1978). More recently, the states of Chhattisgarh (in 2000), Tamil Nadu (in 2002, then abrogated in 2004), Gujarat (2003), Rajasthan (2006, not signed by the governor, hence not in force) and Himachal Pradesh (2007) .
At present in Ranchi, concludes Fr. Kerketta, "there is no violence, but the social climate remains tense. We, as a minority, fear the aggression of Hindu radical groups. "
