A number of incidents of religious intolerance against minorities are being reported from Karnataka during Christmas celebrations in the state.
A school in Bagalkot was closed after local Hindu groups objected to meat being served as part of Christmas feast. The groups alleged that the school also indulging in conversion. The local block education officer ordered temporary closure of St Paul higher primary school on Thursday following pressure from right wing groups.
However, after criticism from public, the education department has quickly withdrawn the order calling it mistake by local officers and has sought a report on the matter.
In another incident in Tumakuru on Tuesday, a group of men barged into a house of a family from the Other Backward Class community, where women were celebrating Christmas. The group questioned the women on why they were not wearing sindoor and why they “converted to Christianity”.
The women, however, stood up to the group, saying who they pray to is their prerogative and refuted the charges of conversion. “Who are you to question us? I can remove the mangalsutra and keep it aside,” one of the women said and asked the men to get out.
In yet another similar incident from Belagavi, a Dalit family was attacked by a right wing group on charges of conversion. The Members of a right wing organisation beat up the family, accusing them of converting neighbours to Christianity.
Akshay, his wife and three others were assaulted by members of the outfit while holding prayers on December 29. The members alleged that the family was converting people in the neighborhood and holding prayers for the same purpose. The district police have booked seven accused under various charges including under the SC/ST atrocities act.
The proposed anti-conversion bill, which the BJP government in Karnataka intends to introduce in the ongoing Legislature session here, has a provision for imprisonment of those who indulge in mass conversion from three to 10 years and a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
The draft also says that the ‘religious converter’ shall give one month’s prior notice in ‘form-II of such conversion’ to the district magistrate or any other officer not below the rank of additional district magistrate.
Under the proposed law, “any aggrieved person, his parents, brother, sister, or any other person, who is related to him by blood, marriage or adoption may lodge a First Information Report of such conversion, which contravenes the provisions of section-3.” The Chief Minister said that the government would constitute a special task force for the implementing the anti-conversion bill, once it becomes a law.
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