The Nepal Weekly 
April 16, 2024
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has issued stringent directives to all 77 district administration offices warned against coercive religious conversions driven by intimidation and extortion.
In response to growing complaints about such activities across several districts, the ministry has mandated intensified surveillance to forestall any forced religious conversions.
Narayan Prasad Bhattarai, the ministry’s spokesperson, informed that following numerous grievances regarding forced religious conversions in various districts, a circular was issued to reinforce corrective measures. “We’ve unequivocally declared any form of coercive conversion as unacceptable, be it through intimidation or persuasion,” said Bhattarai. The ministry’s circular underscores the imperative to halt illicit proselytization by closely monitoring and curbing such activities. underscoring the
circular’s confirmity with constitutional and legal provisions, spokesperson Bhattarai said, “Every individual holds the right to practice their chosen faith freely. While one may naturally embrace a religion of their liking, inducing conversion through incentives or fear is impermissible.”
These days a numerous videos have been uploaded through social media aimed at religious conversion, posing threat to the indigenous religious faith and cultural identity of the country.
