ITANAGAR, 9 Oct: The Arunachal Indigenous Students’ Union has lodged a complaint with the chief secretary against allotting of IG Park for organising an ‘Arunachal Prayer Festival’ by the Arunachal Christian Forum from 27 to 29 October.
“Arunachal Indigenous Students’ Union is extremely shocked and saddened to know that IG Park has been allotted by the competent authority for organising Arunachal Prayer Festival. It has never been allowed to be used by any religious or community festival or any other events of religious significance,” the union said in a letter to the chief secretary.
It said that “IG Park is exclusively meant for official programmes and government-approved calendar events of national and state-level importance, like Independence Day, Republic Day, Statehood Day, cultural events of greater magnitude, and other state-level events.”
The union further stated that “such religious
event of greater magnitude at IG Park would open up a Pandora’s box for many other groups and organisations to seek permission to use the park, which, in the long run, would be unproductive for the state and the societies.”
“Furthermore, it is most likely to offend the popular sentiments of all faith groups as the event itself is seen as highly sensitive, provocative and condemnable,” it said.
The union claimed that, “considering the sensitivity and popular sentiments of the natives, irrespective of religious affiliations,” the Upper Siang district administration has banned the use of public premises for religious discourse and healing crusades by all faith groups.”
“Similar prohibition order was also issued by the Kamle district administration to avoid religious disharmony among the different faith groups,” it added.
“The Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences has banned all religious and magico activities in the hospital premises to avoid conflicts and to maintain peace and tranquillity in the hospital,” the letter said.
It further stated that “allowing events to be organised at IG Park has every potential to disturb the socio-religious harmony, hurt the popular sentiments of the masses, send a wrong message to the citizens, and create an unhealthy trend for all other groups to follow suit in the coming years.”
