GOA (RVA News): In collaboration with several civil society organisations, the Council for Social Justice and Peace of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman organised a solidarity meet on August 9 at Azad Maidan to condemn recent attacks against minorities in India. The gathering renewed calls for the creation of a State Minority Commission in Goa and voiced opposition to the proposed enactment of an anti-conversion law in the state.
The assembly was attended by Archbishop Filipe Neri Cardinal Ferrão of Goa and Daman; Auxiliary Bishop Simião Fernandes of Goa and Daman; along with people of various faiths, activists, and community leaders in a united call for the protection of minority rights and the promotion of communal harmony. Participants unanimously resolved to submit a petition to the government of Goa.
The petition, read by Father Savio Fernandes, executive secretary of the Council for Social Justice and Peace, and signed by the attendees, cited the recent arrest of two nuns from Kerala and a tribal man at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh [Sunday Examiner, August 3 and 10] as “one of the latest in a spate of persecutions of minorities in India.”
The petition noted that “some of the newer anti-conversion laws stand in complete violation of the right to freedom of religion, as well as other fundamental rights,” and urged the protection of minority communities guaranteed in the Constitution of India.
Citing the Karnataka High Court’s warning about the potential “weaponisation” of such laws by vigilante groups, the statement drew parallels to Goa, where chief minister, Pramod Sawant, announced plans to enact a similar law.
“This announcement by the chief minister is like adding salt to the wounds of the minorities in Goa,” the petition declared, adding that instead of addressing the long-standing demand for a State Minority Commission, “such baseless laws are being proposed.”
The petition also noted that minorities in Goa have “faced riots, hate speech, incitement, and provocative statements,” as well as economic challenges. It alleged that false First Information Reports had been filed against community members, later quashed by the courts, and that minorities had been denied permission to hold meetings, rallies, or protests, with “anti-terror laws and oppressive anti-conversion laws dangled over them.”
Minority institutions, including educational and social welfare organisations, were also reported to be “facing increasing challenges.”
The solidarity meet concluded with three key demands:
• Immediate establishment of a transparently selected and accountable State Minority Commission, backed by state legislation.
• Rejection of any proposal to enact an anti-conversion law in Goa, citing its misuse in other states.
• Restoration of law and order through the protection of religious freedom and minority rights.
The programme concluded with the singing of the national anthem, as participants reaffirmed their commitment to justice, peace, and the safeguarding of democratic values.
