Archive · 31 Dec 2025
CPI(M) Chief Urges Defense of Secularism Amid Conversion Allegations
The leader of the CPI(M) party, MA Baby, has spoken out about recent reports of people being accused of forcing others to change their religion.
He says this is a problem because it goes against the rules of the Indian Constitution, which allows people to practice any religion they choose.
Baby mentioned that similar accusations have been used in the past to justify violence, like the murder of an Australian missionary named Graham Staines and his sons in 1999.
He believes that the current government is not protecting the rights of minority communities and is instead creating divisions among people.
Baby is calling on state governments to follow the Constitution and take action against groups that are causing trouble in the name of religion.
CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby raised concerns about alleged forced religious conversions targeting minority communities.
Recent arrests of a priest in Nagpur and a pastor in Fatehpur were cited as examples of infringements on Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
Baby accused Sangh Parivar elements of fomenting trouble and BJP-NDA governments of taking action against victims rather than perpetrators.
The murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his sons in 1999 was referenced as a historical example of violence fueled by conversion allegations.
Baby emphasized the need to defend secularism and called on state governments to adhere to constitutional principles and take action against Hindutva terror gangs.
- Who
- CPI(M) General Secretary MA Baby, Bajrang Dal, Sangh Parivar, Minority Communities
- What
- Allegations of forced religious conversions and calls to defend secularism
- When
- December 31, 2023 (with historical reference to 1999)
- Where
- India (Nagpur, Maharashtra; Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh)
- Why
- To highlight alleged infringements on constitutional rights and the need for secularism
- Incident Date
- December 31, 2023
- Primary Accusation
- Forced religious conversions
- Locations Mentioned
- Nagpur, Maharashtra; Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh
- Historical Reference
- Murder of Graham Staines (1999)
- Organizations Involved
- Bajrang Dal, Sangh Parivar, CPI(M)
- Constitutional Article Cited
- Article 25