Karnataka's anti-conversion law weaponised for harassment, false cases, personal vendettas
Bengaluru: A recent report by The News Minute, reveals that Karnataka’s anti-conversion law is being used to harass citizens, often for personal grudges or in the guise of protecting religious sentiments. Numerous individuals, including those from marginalised backgrounds, claim false accusations of religious conversion have been levelled against them, masking caste discrimination or personal vendettas.
One such case is of Somanna (name changed), a Dalit resident of Haveri district. He has been attending court almost monthly for over a year due to a complaint filed against him in February 2023, accusing him of converting people to Christianity. However, he alleges the true issue was caste-based hostility in his village, Balambida, where he had faced discrimination for teaching local children from different castes. The anti-conversion accusation, he claims, was used to disguise casteist abuse after he refused to stop the Sunday prayer meetings he hosted.
Introduced by the BJP in December 2021, Karnataka's anti-conversion law, The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act, criminalises conversions allegedly induced through "allurement" or "temptations." Critics, including legal experts, argue that the law’s ambiguous language makes it susceptible to misuse.
Between May 2022 and June 2024, 30 cases under the anti-conversion law have been reported across Karnataka, according to the State Crime Records Bureau. Although the Congress government pledged to repeal the law after assuming power, it later deferred the decision, citing the impending Lok Sabha elections.
Reports show that 21 cases were filed under the BJP-led government, with nine additional cases occurring post the Congress takeover in May 2023. Interviews by ‘The New Minute’, with several of the accused and legal professionals suggest that the law is frequently wielded as a weapon of harassment rather than protection.
In another case from Bengaluru, a complaint was filed in October 2022 against an interfaith couple. The woman’s mother accused her daughter’s partner, Suhail (name changed), of coercing her daughter into conversion. The woman, however, denied these claims and has openly defended her relationship, challenging her mother’s allegations.
Other incidents highlight similar misuse. In Vijayapura district, Ganga (name changed), an ASHA worker, was terminated after community members accused her of attempting conversions. Harassment in her village escalated, with locals even cutting off her water and electricity supply. Despite a favourable High Court order reinstating her, her return to work has been marked by ongoing intimidation.
The misuse of Karnataka's anti-conversion law reflects historical debates on religious freedom, a topic heavily discussed in the Constituent Assembly while framing Article 25. Proponents of the right to propagate cited the freedom to share one’s faith, while others expressed concern about potential abuses of influence. Despite this, the right to propagate remains enshrined in India’s Constitution, though anti-conversion laws, including Karnataka’s, restrict this under claims of “inducement.”
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Four of family found dead in Maharashtra’s Nanded district in suspected mass suicide
Nanded (PTI): A farmer, his wife and their two sons were found dead in two different locations in Maharashtra’s Nanded district on Thursday morning, in what police suspect to be a mass suicide, an official said.
Around 8 am, the bodies of Ramesh Sonaji Lakhe (51) and his wife Radhabai Lakhe (45) were discovered on a cot in their home at Jawala Murar village in Mudkhed tehsil, he said.
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The bodies of their sons, Umesh (25) and Bajrang (23), were subsequently found on nearby railway lines. It appears they jumped in front of a speeding train, the official said.
Police inspector Dattatray Manthale told reporters, “The parents were found dead inside their home, while the sons took their lives on the railway tracks. We have asked a Forensic Science Laboratory team to collect evidence. The truth will come out only after a thorough technical investigation and autopsy.”
While the nature of their death appears to be part of a suicide pact, police said the exact circumstances remain unclear.
The family belonged to the small-scale farming community, but it is not yet confirmed if financial distress or a domestic crisis triggered the extreme step, the official said.
Neighbours described the Lakhes as a hardworking family who struggled against the odds of small-land farming to sustain themselves.
The Nanded rural police are recording statements of relatives and checking for notes or final messages left by the family.
