‘Will harm sentiments’: Assam CM disassociates from SP’s letter searching for particulars on no. of church buildings

Express News Service

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma “completely disassociated” himself from a letter of an SP of the police’s Special Branch that sought data from all SPs on non secular conversion and the variety of church buildings established of their respective districts previously yr.

The letter was issued purportedly on December 16 and the SPs have been requested to submit their report together with ideas on “counter measures” by December 22.

Sarma informed a information channel that after he had obtained a replica of the letter on Friday, he requested the DGP to conduct an investigation.

“I think we should not ask for information like there are how many churches in Assam. This might hurt the sentiments of a particular religious community. We should avoid all these kinds of things,” the CM stated.

“I don’t know in what context the SP issued the letter. I have asked the DGP to inquire and take corrective measures as we, in Assam, want to live in peace and harmony and don’t want to offend the religious sentiments of any community. I completely disassociate myself from the letter. It was never discussed in any government forum. The letter is wholly unwarranted,” Sarma stated. 

He stated there’s a distinction between forceful conversion and in any other case. He stated Assam doesn’t have a regulation to manage conversion. 

“Normally such letters go from the Home Department or the DGP if at all the government wants to issue such letters. But this letter has gone from the table of an SP of the Special Branch,” the CM stated.

“Let me check the ground as to why it was issued. I want to clarify the position of the state government that we don’t want any survey on any religious institutions,” he added.

The Assam Christian Forum stated it was aggrieved and pained on the “circular” that despatched a incorrect narrative to the society. 

“The Christian community has contributed immensely to the Assamese society. We have got thousands of schools in Assam and the Northeast. We are at the forefront of nation-building. The last Chief Minister (Sarbananda Sonowal) was a product of the Don Bosco (Higher Secondary School), Dibrugarh,” the discussion board’s spokesperson Allen Brook informed this newspaper.

Stating that he obtained calls from many Christian leaders, he stated the discussion board would “take up” the matter after Christmas.

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma “completely disassociated” himself from a letter of an SP of the police’s Special Branch that sought data from all SPs on non secular conversion and the variety of church buildings established of their respective districts previously yr.

The letter was issued purportedly on December 16 and the SPs have been requested to submit their report together with ideas on “counter measures” by December 22.

Sarma informed a information channel that after he had obtained a replica of the letter on Friday, he requested the DGP to conduct an investigation.

“I think we should not ask for information like there are how many churches in Assam. This might hurt the sentiments of a particular religious community. We should avoid all these kinds of things,” the CM stated.

“I don’t know in what context the SP issued the letter. I have asked the DGP to inquire and take corrective measures as we, in Assam, want to live in peace and harmony and don’t want to offend the religious sentiments of any community. I completely disassociate myself from the letter. It was never discussed in any government forum. The letter is wholly unwarranted,” Sarma stated. 

He stated there’s a distinction between forceful conversion and in any other case. He stated Assam doesn’t have a regulation to manage conversion. 

“Normally such letters go from the Home Department or the DGP if at all the government wants to issue such letters. But this letter has gone from the table of an SP of the Special Branch,” the CM stated.

“Let me check the ground as to why it was issued. I want to clarify the position of the state government that we don’t want any survey on any religious institutions,” he added.

The Assam Christian Forum stated it was aggrieved and pained on the “circular” that despatched a incorrect narrative to the society. 

“The Christian community has contributed immensely to the Assamese society. We have got thousands of schools in Assam and the Northeast. We are at the forefront of nation-building. The last Chief Minister (Sarbananda Sonowal) was a product of the Don Bosco (Higher Secondary School), Dibrugarh,” the discussion board’s spokesperson Allen Brook informed this newspaper.

Stating that he obtained calls from many Christian leaders, he stated the discussion board would “take up” the matter after Christmas.