BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh to challenge interim relief for interfaith marriage
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) controlled government of Madhya Pradesh state will move the Supreme Court to challenge a ruling by the High Court, which restricts the prosecution of interfaith couples under the state’s stringent anti-conversion laws.
Earlier this month, a High Court bench had ordered the government not to prosecute consenting adults under section 10 of the state’s Freedom of Religion Act, which orders individuals who want to convert to a different religion to send a declaration of their intent 60 days prior to the district magistrate.
While the High Court called the section “unconstitutional,” the state government has plans to take its challenge to the Supreme Court.
6 Christians booked under false allegations of forced conversion
A false report made by a Hindu supremacist has led to 6 Christians being booked for alleged forced conversions in Uttar Pradesh state.
The Hindu supremacist, Himanshu Patel, claimed that Hindus were being forced to convert to Christianity at the home of one of the missionaries “by luring, misleading, and also giving life threat to the people to accept their religion.”
Patel further alleged that “indecent comments” against Hindu deities were made by a gathering of 60-70 Christians.
Bhagwan Das, one of the accused, has pushed back against the accusations, saying that his fields have been used to host Christian prayer gatherings and congregations for the past 22 years. He has also reported that Patel and other Hindu supremacists forcibly entered his property and threatened his life.
Uttar Pradesh remains one of the most dangerous states in India for Christians, with Hindu supremacists committing 49 hate crimes against Christians in 2021 alone.
Upper-caste Hindus “clean” water tank after Dalit woman drinks from it; Dalits protest
In the latest incident of caste-based discrimination, upper-caste Hindus drained a water tank in a Karnataka state village and “cleaned” it after a Dalit woman drank from it.
Reports state that the upper-caste Hindus also publicly berated the woman for “sullying” the drinking water, telling her she was “forbidden” from drinking it.
In response, Dalit youth have protested by drinking from public taps across the village.
Caste discrimination remains a deep-rooted problem in Indian society, where Dalits (formerly known as “Untouchables”) are segregated from certain drinking fountains, temples, and other public spaces due to their caste.
