In a question hour in Gujarat Assembly, the Chief Minister was replying to a set of questions raised by Congress MLAs, who sought details of applications received by the department from citizens, who wish to embrace another religion in the last two years.
As many as 453 people in Gujarat, including 404 Hindus and 35 Muslims, sought the state government’s permission to change their religion in the last two years, and of them, 171 were given the go-ahead.
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Those seeking nod for religious conversion hailed from 26 of the 33 districts of Gujarat, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told the House. The Budget session of the Gujarat Assembly is currently underway. It started on February 20 and would continue till March end.
Rupani, who also handles the home department, said 453 people from different faiths had applied for religious conversion in two years, till December 31, 2017. Of the 453 applications, the highest number, 404, were received from Hindus followed by Muslims (35), Christians (11), Jains (2) and Sikhs (1), he said.
According to the Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, which came into force in 2008, if anyone wants to convert to another religion, he/she has to take permission from government authorities. The law was implemented to curb forced conversions.
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