GuwahatiThe apex body of Christians in Arunachal Pradesh has asked the State’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government to stop the process of framing and notifying rules for a 48-year-old anti-conversion law.The Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA) was introduced in 1978, but was not implemented. Hearing a petition seeking its implementation, the Gauhati High Court directed the State Government in September 2024 to frame and notify the rules.Officials said the rules were being processed.On Tuesday (June 2, 2026), the Arunachal Christian Forum submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pema Khandu to express its “strongest opposition” to the ongoing exercise. The forum set a 15-day deadline for the government to comply or face a series of agitations, including shutdowns.The forum said the State’s Christians were apprehensive that the APFRA, once implemented, would have far-reaching consequences on their constitutional rights, religious freedom, social harmony, and peaceful coexistence among several communities.The Arunachal Christian Forum alleged that the “undue haste” of the High-Powered Committee, entrusted with framing the rules of the APFRA, generated widespread apprehension and resentment among the Christians, a significant section of the State’s population.It further said that such a move without a broad consensus and meaningful dialogue could lead to avoidable tension and unrest in Arunachal Pradesh.The ACF asked the government to issue a public declaration within 15 days, halting the rule-framing process and initiating comprehensive consultations with all stakeholders on the repeal of the APFRA, 1978.Earlier, the forum said that the “discriminatory and divisive” APFRA unfairly targets the State’s Christians.The Pema Khandu government has been under pressure from non-Christian groups, including the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh (IFCSAP), to implement the APFRA soon. Officials said the Act has provisions for imprisonment and fines for those found guilty of converting people by force, inducement, or fraud.Members of the IFCSAP said tribal people were increasingly converting to other religions, and without the Act in place, the indigenous faiths would soon become extinct.According to the indigenous faith body, the Christian population jumped from less than 1% in 1971 to more than 30% in 2011. During the same period, the number of people following indigenous faiths and other religions reduced from more than 63% to about 26%.The number of Buddhists in the State also decreased from about 13% in 1971 to less than 12% in 2011, while the number of Hindus increased by about 7% to 29.03% in 2011. Published - June 03, 2026 07:39 pm IST