Karnataka: Another church vandalised in Chikkaballapur amid anti-conversion bill row

According to local reports, the 160-year-old St. Joseph's church was attacked at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, and the statue of St. Anthony was broken. 

A church in the Chikkaballapur district of southern Karnataka was vandalised early Thursday morning. This comes amid a debate over an anti-conversion bill. While the state administration has pushed for the new guidelines to be passed, the Christian community has written to the chief minister in opposition. According to local reports, the 160-year-old St. Joseph's church was attacked at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, and the statue of St. Anthony was broken. The officers removed the statue for further investigation and lodged an FIR.

There have been disturbances in Christian prayer groups in several regions of Karnataka in recent weeks. The Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Bill has been introduced in the current session of the state legislature in Belagavi. The administration claims that the Bill is intended to prevent forced conversions. Still, opponents claim it targets minorities in the state and is more challenging than comparable measures in other BJP-ruled states.

Protests against the law have taken place, including one in Bengaluru on Wednesday attended by Archbishop Peter Machado. Meanwhile, hundreds of individuals from at least 40 socio-political organisations marched in Bengaluru on Wednesday in opposition to the Karnataka Right to Freedom of Religion Bill, 2021, also known as the anti-conversion Bill. The march began at Mysore Bank Circle and concluded at Freedom Park.

During the present Winter Session in Belagavi, the Bill was introduced on Tuesday in the state Legislative Assembly. The Cabinet passed the Bill on Monday, but no formal information on its introduction in the House was provided. 

According to sources, some significant sections of the law include a three to five-year prison sentence for those involved in illicit religious conversions. The guilty will also face punishment. The individual who wishes to change faith must notify the district administration 60 days in advance, and the DC may also request objections. The objections will be considered. If a person marries only for the goal of conversion, the marriage is declared null and void. Affected individuals, family members, guardians, and relatives may also contact the police and file a complaint.