Itanagar, Feb 20 Amidst the ongoing agitation against the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), 1978 by the Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF), top leaders of the Forum would meet state’s Home Minister Mama Natung on Friday to discuss their issue, officials said on Thursday.
A senior official of the Arunachal Pradesh Home Department said that the state Home Minister earlier this week urged the ACF to suspend their agitation and requested them to meet him on Friday (February 21) in the state’s civil secretariat to discuss their demands.
ACF President Tarh Miri also on Thursday confirmed that they would meet the Home Minister and discuss their demands. The ACF has been agitating against the implementation of the APFRA, 1978 claiming that the law, when implemented, would harm the Christians in the state.
As per the 2011 census Christian Population in Arunachal Pradesh is 4.19 lakh (30.26 per cent) of a total population of 13.84 Lakh. The ACF on February 17 observed an eight-hour-long hunger strike at NIIS Nyokum Ground in Borum in Naharlagun Circle to protest against the implementation of the APFRA, 1978.
Meanwhile, earlier on Thursday Chief Minister Pema Khandu urged the people of the state not to ‘misinterpret’ the APFRA, 1978, for which the rules are being framed following the order of the Gauhati High Court.
In his address during the 39th Statehood Day celebration in Itanagar, the Chief Minister said that the Act, which was passed in the Assembly in 1978 under the first chief minister of the state, P K Thungon, when Arunachal Pradesh was a Union Territory, is not against any religion but to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the state.
“Since 1978, the Act has remained in a two-page document. Rules weren’t framed. However, when an individual took it to the Gauhati High Court, the Court (Itanagar bench) ordered the state government to frame the rules within six months. The department concerned and the state government is abiding by the court’s directives and the initial draft is being prepared,” he informed.
The Chief Minister assured that the Act would not be against any religion but for the good of all. He regretted that some people were misinterpreting it by giving it political and religious colours.
“Some people are misinterpreting it on social media and mainstream media platforms. This is not good for the peace and communal harmony in the state,” Khandu observed.
The Chief Minister said that the doors of the state government are always open for queries and consultations to clear all misgivings about the Act.
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