Signing a Petition addressed to Chief Minister of Chattisgarh regarding anti constitutional order in Bastar that bans non Hindu religions According to some report, over 50 gram panchayats in Bastar have passed orders under Section 129 (G) of the Chhattisgarh Panchayat Raj Act banning all “non-Hindu religious propaganda, prayers and speeches in the villages.” The Sirisguda gram panchayat in the Tokapal block of Bastar passed the order at a special Gram Sabha organised on May 10. The order says, “To stop the forced conversion by some outsider religious campaigners and to prevent them from using derogatory language against Hindu deities and customs, the Sirisguda Gram Sabha bans religious activities such as prayers, meetings and propaganda of all non-Hindu religions.” Yet another village, Belar in Lohandiguda block of Bastar district, convened its gram sabha on Sunday and passed a resolution banning all non-Hindu religious activities. Amid controversy over right wing groups motivating gram sabhas or village councils to adopt resolutions banning non-Hindu religious activities in villages in tribal Bastar, Chhattisgarh government seem to be adopting wait and watch policy on how to deal with the situation. Please ask the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh to ensure the rule of law and overturn these unconstitutional bans. Please also ask him to have the state government intervene in this situation and charge the people behind this unconstitutional ban with criminal conspiracy with intent to create communal tensions. Please send your petitions to the Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh at: [email protected] Please Cc your petition to the Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh, Mr. Vivek Kumar Dhand at [email protected] Sample Petition To Dr. Raman Singh Hon’ble Chief Minister, Government of Chhattisgarh, Chief Minister’s Secretariat, D.K.S. Bhawan, Mantralaya, Raipur, Chhattisgarh – 492001 Sub: With respect to the reported ban on non-Hindu religions in Bastar area of Chhattisgarh Dear Honorable Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, We would like to draw your attention to recent media reports detailing the ban on non-Hindu religions in Bastar area of Chhattisgarh state. As per media reports, this ban is a result of an aggressive campaign by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and has led to a ban on the entry of and propaganda by non-Hindu missionaries, especially Christians, in more than 50 villages of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region in the last six months. According to the same media reports, more than 50 gram panchayats in Bastar have passed orders under Section 129(G) of the Chhattisgarh Panchayati Raj Act, banning all non-Hindu religious propaganda, prayers and speeches in villages. This is in violation of Constitutional rights and guarantees to citizens of India, such as the freedom of faith and the freedom of movement, expression and association. It is also is a grave assault on the fundamental rights of individuals and peoples groups. It may also encourage fundamentalist and extremist religious organizations to indulge in hate campaigns against the Christian community and other minorities. So I would like to request you to immediately reverse the ban and to restore peace and normalcy in the area. I would also like to ask for your intervention in controlling communal organizations that poison the atmosphere making it communal by abusing the provisions of law. Sincerely, (First Name) (Last Name) To: Dr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Mr. Vivek Kumar Dhand, Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh Revoke ban on non-Hindu Religious Activity
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:09:18 +0000