India: BJP Proposes Law Against Religious Conversion in Karnataka, Catholic Bishops Raise Concerns

So far, the three Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh have passed laws outlawing religious conversion solely for marriage.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed Karnataka government is now considering implementing a law against religious conversion, state chief Basavaraj Bommai has said.

"Such things [conversions] are happening here and there. So a couple of days ago, I gave appropriate directions to district administrations not to allow any religious conversion through inducement or by force, as it is illegal," Bommai said.

The process to bring forward a specific law began after BJP legislator Goolihatti D Shekar claimed that around 15,000-20,000 religious conversions had already taken place in Chitradurga district and his assembly constituency Hosadurga in the past few months.

"Dalits, backward classes, and even Muslims are being converted into Christianity," the BJP legislator alleged on 20 September.

Soon after the allegations, Catholic Bishops met the state chief and termed the allegations as "malicious" and "untrue".

In a memorandum submitted to the state chief, the bishops said that such a law would lead to "unnecessary communal issues and unrest" in the state.

"There is no truth behind such allegations, someone trying to tarnish our image. We are running so many educational institutes in the state, and none have been advised to get converted," Father Dominic, member of Karnataka's Catholic Bishop Council, told Sputnik.

BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh already have implemented laws to stop forcible religious conversion.

The offence of illegal conversion under all three states' laws is non-bailable, which means an arrest can be made without a warrant, and bail is granted only at the judge's discretion.