Ladakh Buddhist group seeks anti-conversion law, cites ‘threat to peace’

SRINAGAR: Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) has written to Union location curate Amit Shah seeking a “strict” anti-conversion instrumentality successful the Union territory forthwith, flagging imaginable threats of communal unit successful the strategically delicate borderline region.While the missive didn’t specify the contiguous crushed for the demand, it came amid reports that a Buddhist miss from Zanskar allegedly eloped with a younker from Kargil, triggering protests and complaints that matrimony was being misused arsenic a instrumentality for conversion of women from the community. Zanskar is simply a Buddhist-majority pocket. In Kargil, Muslims outnumber others.Sent by LBA president Chering Dorjay Lakrook connected Thursday, the missive stressed Ladakh’s “distinctive spiritual demography with delicate equilibrium betwixt Buddhist, Muslim and Christian communities, on with different minorities”.

“The conversion contented poses a superior menace to Ladakh’s peace...with imaginable for undermining improvement initiatives owed to societal tensions, interaction connected tourism and economical activities owed to perceived instability,” the missive states.Founded successful 1932, LBA is an influential organisation successful the portion and portion of Leh Apex Body (LAB), an amalgam of governmental and spiritual groups that seeks Sixth Schedule presumption and statehood for Ladakh.

Lakrook is besides LAB’s chairman.The missive cited concerns astir expanding conversion activities. “These activities allegedly progressive organised conversion campaigns successful distant areas, usage of inducement, allurement and misrepresentation, targeting economically susceptible sections, conversion done matrimony without afloat disclosure...”On Thursday, Zanskar Buddhist Association (ZBA) submitted a ailment to section authorities alleging the miss had been abducted wrongfully confined, informing it could beryllium portion of a “wider pattern” successful which matrimony is misused for conversions.Lakrook’s missive says an anti-conversion instrumentality successful Ladakh would assistance forestall communal tension, deter “provocative” conversions and supply an organization mechanics for addressing grievances.To buttress his demand, Lakrook cited examples of immoderate states that person enacted anti-conversion laws implicit the years, with Odisha being the archetypal successful 1967, followed by Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Karnataka.