Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has said one's caste is accorded by birth and one cannot change the caste into which one is born.
However, while everybody has the right to choose his or her religion, his government is strict and unsparing when it comes to dealing with forcible religious conversions, he added.
Speaking to mediapersons in Raipur on Tuesday, the Chhattisgarh CM further said, "When there was monarchy, it was the king who decided punishments and instituted a religion that everyone subscribed to. But times have changed. We are a democracy where everyone has the right to choose the religion that he or she wants to practice."
"But if someone is forced into a conversion, there is a provision for strict action against them in our state. We have taken action on receiving complaints. We took note of the complaints, investigated and took action against the guilty," Baghel said.
Strict action will be taken if anuy compaint of forcible religious conversion is brought to the government's notice, the CM added.
The Supreme Court on Monday observed that everyone has the right to choose their religion but there should be no forced conversion.
Meanwhile, Baghel said, "Our government is serious about medical education and so far, we have set up medical colleges in 10 Lok Sabha segments of the state. Only the Janjgir Champa constituency doesn't have a medical college as yet and once it is up and running, our aim is to open medical colleges in every district."
( With inputs from ANI )
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