MARGAO
The Goa Needs Minority Commission (GNMC), a group of organisations working to protect minority rights, has raised serious concern over Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s recent statement in the Assembly about bringing an anti-conversion law to Goa.
GNMC Convenor Mathew Almeida said there is no valid reason or need for such a law in Goa. He urged opposition MLAs and minority MLAs in the ruling party to oppose the Bill if it is introduced. “We will continue to oppose any move that disturbs Goa’s peace,” he said.
Mathew pointed out that states with anti-conversion laws often report the highest crimes against minorities. “Minorities in such states face threats and even physical attacks for practising their faith, which is protected by Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution,” he said.
He added that terms like ‘forced conversion’ are not clearly defined. Even praying, sharing religious leaflets, or distributing holy books has been wrongly labelled as conversion.
Referring to a case from Uttar Pradesh, Mathew said the CM is linking Goa to an incident involving alleged forced conversion and foreign funding, even though the case has no link to Goa. A similar case in Goa was earlier dismissed by the High Court, he added.
