Chhattisgarh Govr raises queries over anti-conversion bill

Raipur, Aug 22 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Governor E S L Narasimhan has raised queries over certain provisions in a controversial anti-conversion bill passed by the Assembly last year.

The Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Bill 2006 is awaiting the Governor's assent. Now, the Governor has sought clarification over a few of its provisions, official sources said.

Mr Narasimhan has sought clarification on a provision which stipulates that it would not be treated as conversion if anyone ''re-embraced'' the religion which the person's father or grandfather followed. The bill also makes it mandatory to seek prior permission from the district administration if anyone wished to embrace any other religion.

Mr Narasimhan's predecessor Lieutenant-General Krishna Mohan Seth had also reportedly objected to these provisions in the bill brought by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, apparently after Sangh Parivar outfits alleged that large-scale conversion to Christianity was taking place in the state's tribal areas.

BJP-ruled Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan also brought in similar legislation to contain the problem and introduce stringent punishment for conversion by coercion.

UNI