Daijiworld Media Network - Davangere (SP)

Davangere, Feb 4: Speaking in an interactive session on 'religious conversion and social health' organized at the Taralabalu Bhavan in the town on Tuesday February 3, senior researcher Dr M Chidanandamurthy strongly advocated in favour of enacting anti-conversion law in the state. "Anti-conversion laws are in force in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa states. If we do not oppose religious conversion, the country may eventually lose its freedom," he apprehended.

“Akhila Bharat Veerashaiva Mahasabha's fact-finding committee has conducted a survey of religious conversion around Davanagere. Mainly Kurubas, Bedas and Veerashaivas have opted to get religiously converted. One of the banes of Hinduism is untouchability, which should be done away with immediately. At the same time, many people from higher classes, castes etc., too have got converted," he briefed.

Scholar Prof G K Govind Rao expressed the opinion that democracy is the real religion of people. "We have to get converted into democratic religion. It would be unfair to expect people to get stuck to the religion in which they are born. If we can not live as human beings in a religion, we can go out of it without hesitation," he argued.

Poet K B Siddaiah said that some forces want to bring anti-conversion laws for serving their own vested interests. "Religious conversion is a lofty quality of a healthy and vibrant society. There is a need to understand that conversions take place for the protection of life, dignity and self-respect," he stressed.