The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) boycotted the second meeting of the high-powered committee (HPC) formed to draft rules for the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), 1978. The forum said its key demands were not addressed by the authorities. ACF chief adviser Tarh Miri, who is also a member of the committee, walked out of the meeting after submitting a written note to the chairman. He said the forum had raised two main demands — expansion of the HPC for better representation and repeal or modification of the Act — but there was no response.“Our long-pending demand for repeal of the Act cannot be expected from the HPC. Also, expansion of the committee is the prerogative of the state government. The HPC is not serving our interest, so we are walking out in protest,” Miri said.
The first meeting of the committee was held on March 19, while the second meeting took place on Tuesday. The HPC was set up to prepare draft rules for implementing the APFRA, a law that has remained without formal rules for decades.The ACF has been opposing the Act for years and has repeatedly demanded that it be repealed. The forum claims the law goes against the interests of the Christian community and lacks balance. Later, speaking to reporters at the Arunachal Press Club, ACF president Techi James Tara announced that the forum will hold a statewide protest on April 30. He alleged that the government is trying to push the rules in a hurry.
“We have been demanding repeal of this Act for nearly 50 years. Now the government is trying to frame rules quickly and impose it. We strongly oppose this move,” Tara said. He also claimed that the committee does not have fair representation and is dominated by groups supporting the Act. According to him, this is one of the main reasons behind the boycott.
