The Goa government’s decision to push through an anti-conver sion law carrying penalties of up to life imprisonment has triggered growing unease among minority communi ties, civil society groups and even sections of the political establishment, with critics questioning both the need for such legislation and the absence of any documented evidence of forced religious conversions in the State.
The State Cabinet on Tues day approved the Goa Prohi bition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2026, which seeks to prohibit conversion from one religion to another through misrepresentation, force, coercion, undue in fluence, allurement, fraud ulent means or marriage. The Bill is likely to be intro duced during the monsoon session of the Goa Legis lative Assembly beginning Monday.
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At the heart of the grow ing opposition is the con tention that the govern ment is seeking to address a problem for which there is little or no evidence in Goa, while creating a law whose sweeping provisions could potentially intrude into religious practices and inter-faith relationships. Curtorim independ ent MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenço, who supports the BJP-led government, has emerged as one of the strongest voices against the move, demanding that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee. “There is no history, no data proving that religious conversions are taking place in the State. All re ligions have been living peacefully in Goa, and there are no instances of forced conversion,” Lourenço said. Questioning the timing and necessity of the legis lation, Lourenço said the move was “not in good taste” in a State that has traditionally prided itself on communal harmony. “People should have the right to choose their reli gion. We are totally against it,” he said, warning that the proposed legislation could also affect religious activities.
Lourenço said Goa’s so cial fabric had been shaped by generations of cultural bonding between different communities and that in ter-religious marriages were not uncommon. He said he would demand that the gov ernment send the Bill to a Se lect Committee and oppose it if that was not done. “I would demand from the government — there is no question of requesting — that it should be sent to a Select Committee. Other wise, I will oppose it. As a legislator from Curtorim, no matter who says what, we will oppose such type of things,” he said. He also said he would write to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and would stand with minority communities and organisations apprehensive about the legislation. “We strongly oppose such a move. We would demand from the government that it go to a Select Commit tee, and I would be with the minorities and all the organisations which have any fears on this issue,” Lourenço said. The pushback assumes sig nificance because Lourenço supports the BJP-led gov ernment. His intervention exposes the political unease that the proposed legislation could generate even among legislators aligned with the government. Leader of the Opposition, Yuri Alemao, too questioned the need for such legislation in Goa, saying there was no credible data to establish fraudulent religious conver sions in the State. “Existing criminal laws already provide for action against anybody involved in forcible conversion. What is the need for a new law? We want to know what safeguards are in place to prevent misuse of the Act. Any new legislation must ensure that legitimate reli gious freedom is not affect ed,” asserted Alemao. Aldona MLA Adv Car los Alvares Ferreira also strongly opposed the pro posed anti-conversion bill, questioning the need for such legislation in Goa and alleging that the issue was being used to create com munal tension. Adv Ferreira said he was not surprised by the gov ernment’s decision to bring the bill, claiming that the Chief Minister had repeat edly alleged that religious conversions were taking place in the State.
When asked about the statistics, the Chief Minister cited three cases of which one case was closed by the po lice and two were quashed by the High Court. Adv Ferreira argued that there was no credible ev idence of forced or fraud ulent conversions in Goa and therefore, there was no necessity for a separate law. “Goa is known as a peace ful State and for its commu nal harmony. This is one of the reasons why people from different places visit and settle here,” he said. The Congress MLA al leged that the proposed leg islation could create com munal divisions and lead to harassment and persecu tion of people. Questioning the govern ment’s intentions, Adv Fer reira said “Is the BJP trying to generate communal tension ahead of the elections to con solidate its vote base? We will oppose the Bill because it is not in the public interest.
We will examine its provisions clause by clause when it is in troduced in the Goa Assembly. Goa has always been peaceful, should remain peaceful and we should get rid of such ele ments trying to finish Goa.” Curchorem BJP MLA Nilesh Cabral, meanwhile, appeared unwilling to show his hand on a politically sensitive Bill approved by his own government. “I have not read the bill ap proved by the Cabinet. The bill is not in public domain. After reading the bill I will put my views across. It is not correct to speak on it now,” he said. His cautious response comes as the Bill faces mounting criticism from mi nority groups and civil so ciety, leaving the BJP’s own legislators under pressure to explain whether they support a measure carrying punishments as severe as life imprisonment. The concerns are sharp ened by the severity of the proposed penalties. A person found guilty of unlawful con version could face three to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of at least Rs 50,000. Where the alleged victim is a minor, woman, disabled or mentally challenged person, or belongs to the Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe, the punishment rises to five to 14 years and a minimum fine of Rs 1 lakh. The proposed law pro vides for even harsher pun ishment in cases of mass conversion and alleged receipt of money from for eign or illegal institutions. In cases involving threats to life, assault, trafficking, marriage or promises of marriage in connection with an alleged attempt to convert, the punishment can extend from 20 years to life imprisonment. The Bill also provides for compensation to victims, with up to Rs 5 lakh of the fine im posed on an accused being col lected for that purpose. Critics fear that provisions relating to inducement, mar riage and religious activity could be interpreted broadly and become tools for harass ment, particularly of minori ties and inter-faith couples. Former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes said, “I think this Bill is very, very bad for Goa.” “The BJP gov ernment and the RSS are targeting minorities. What is the need for such a Bill when Goa has a secular and multi-religious charac ter and people of different faiths have lived together peacefully? I also question the silence of minority min isters and MLAs associated with the ruling dispensa tion,” he lamented. “How will provisions relat ing to conversion and induce ment be interpreted? There is a fear that even ordinary religious activities could come under scrutiny. The Bill should certainly be discussed in the Assembly, but ultimately it should be withdrawn,” Fer nandes added. Congress spokesman Savio Coutinho said, “Di verse communities have lived peacefully in the State for decades without need ing specialized penal legis lation. This bill surely raises Constitutional concerns. Excessively harsh penalties and broad definitions may infringe upon individual liberties and freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution.” “This is purely to divert attention on the failures of the government.
The government needs to focus on pressing local issues like infrastructure, em ployment and economic development instead of po larising cultural debates,” Coutinho added The Catholic Association of Goa (CAG) has also come out strongly against the Cabinet decision, with its president Cyril Fernandes describing it as ‘harsh’ and ‘unwarranted’. “This is classic BJP band wagon politics. The State has a large Christian pop ulation and a history of religious harmony, yet it is adopting a law which will often be misused to harass minorities and target inter faith marriages,” Cyril Fer nandes said in a comment to O Heraldo. “This move prioritises political signalling over protecting genuine reli gious freedom and social cohesion,” he added. The CAG and the Council for Social Justice and Peace are also expected to issue a joint statement on the pro posed legislation. The Bill provides that a person returning to his or her immediate previous religion will not be treated as having undergone con version under the proposed law. But it is the broad reach of the legislation, coupled with its unusually severe punishments, that has be come the central point of concern among its critics
