By Matters India Reporter
Kanpur, March 21, 2022: A delegation of Christians of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh on March 21 met city Police Commissioner P. Jogdand regarding a spate of accusations and arrests for alleged forcible conversions.
The UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversions of Religion Act 2021 aims to stop conversion through allurement, coercion, force or fraudulent means. The law was implemented with retrospective effect from November 27, 2020.
Under the law, even an assurance of a “better lifestyle” or threat of “divine displeasure” is considered an offence. The act defines “mass conversion” as that of two or more persons. So even if a married couple converts it becomes a case of mass conversion.
Unfortunately, the provisions of this Act have been used to harass Christians across the State. Members of certain fundamentalist organizations have been complaining against prayer meetings being held in houses and pressurising the police to arrest those conducting such services.
A preliminary meeting, to discuss the issue was held at St Patrick’s Church presided over by Father K K Antony, the parish priest. Thereafter Pastors Diamond Yusuf and Jitendra Singh together with chhotebhai, former president of the Kanpur Catholic Association were tasked with preparing a memorandum to submit to the police commissioner.
Presenting the memorandum chhotebhai first thanked the commissioner for having earlier called a meeting before Christmas, as a consequence of which carol singing and all Christmas activities had gone off peacefully.
He then explained that Christians have two holy seasons prior to Christmas and Good Friday. Just as carol singing before Christmas, house prayer meetings are organized in Lent. This is a universal practice and cannot be construed to be any form of conversion activity, chhotebhai said.
At the moment Navratra has begun for the Hindus and Ramzan for Muslims is due to begin. All these major religions have household level prayers in various forms.
The commissioner after listening to the delegation assured it that necessary orders would be passed on to all the police stations that house prayer meetings should not be disrupted.
The delegation also included Father Deepak D’Souza, dean of Kanpur, Reverend Abhishek Lyall of the Methodist Church, Mary Christina, a lawyer, Pastors Manoj Kumar, Michael Patras, and Diamond Yusuf.
Several other Indian states also have anti-conversion law. The Supreme Court of India currents deals with a petition against such laws file by the Centre for Justice and Peace of human rights activist Teesta Setalvad.
In the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Conversion Act, the phrase “Divine Displeasure” is rather confusing. For in the Haryana Anti-conversion Act 2022, the term `Allurement’, includes education in a school run by any religious body, promise of better lifestyle and “Divine PLEASURE.”
Could it be a typographical error in the Uttar Pradesh Act? For in her reaction to the Haryana Anti-conversion Act, Congress MLA Ms Kiran Choudhry pointed out that definition of allurement in the bill also included “Divine Pleasure.” She said that inclusion of this phrase was “ridiculous”. “One practices a faith for attainment of divine pleasure but terming it an allurement is ridiculous,” she said (Source: The Hindustan Times 22 March 2022).
Earlier, legal experts had said the inclusion of “divine pleasure” or promise in the definition of `allurement’ was capricious and irrational. “People may adopt a particular religion for spiritual gratification or divine pleasure. A person claiming spiritual gratification from his religion and facilitating another person to convert may become subject of criminal prosecution under the proposed law,” said a leading lawyer. (Source: The Hindustan Times 07 March 2022).
So, it would be better to check with legal experts the phrase “Divine Displeasure” in the UP Act.
Interestingly, there is a way to bypass Anti-Conversion Laws. For these laws are enforceable only in the states where these have been enacted and are not applicable in other/all states. Those intending to convert or for mixed marriage, can go for this in neighbouring states or union territories where these laws are not applicable! For example in Uttar Pradesh, one who intends to convert to another religion, has to give 60 days’ prior notice to the District Magistrate (DM) by filling up Schedule I; the Convertor (religious priest) has to give 30 days’ advance notice in Schedule II; and after conversion, the converted person has again to inform the DM by filling up Schedule III within 60 days of his/her conversion. This method was expressed by legal experts (Source: The Hindustan Times 07 March 2022). It would be interesting to know the views of our Christian lawyers on this!