BENGALURU: The legislature committee on backward classes and minorities welfare in Karnataka has asked for a survey of churches in the state in a bid to weed out the “unauthorised” ones and “check forced religious conversion.” Various government authorities and the deputy commissioners of districts have been instructed to conduct the survey.

Goolihatti Shekhar, BJP MLA from Hosadurga, who chaired the committee’s meeting on October 13, told TOI that the survey aims to check “forced religious conversion which is rampant in some parts of Karnataka” including his home district Chitradurga.

He said the representatives of the backward classes and minorities affairs, home, revenue and law departments had stated at the meeting that there are about 1,790 churches in Karnataka. The committee has asked them to find out how many of them are illegally established, he said, adding that according to the home department, 36 cases of forced conversion have been registered across the state.

“The menace of forced conversion is so rampant that the perpetrators are even converting residences into churches and Bible societies. We need to find out the number of such establishments and unauthorised Christian priests and take action against them,” said Shekhar.

Shekhar said the churches and Bible societies, which have not been registered and lack permission of the directorate of minorities welfare or minorities commission, are considered ‘unauthorised.’

The Archdiocese of Bengaluru Rev Peter Machado, however, opposed the state government’s move to survey Christian missionaries and their places of worship.

Machado said the exercise is unnecessary. “With this, our community places of worship as also pastors and sisters will be identified and may be unfairly targeted. We are already hearing of such sporadic incidents in the north and in Karnataka,” he said.

“If Christians are converting indiscriminately then why is the percentage of Christian population reducing regularly when compared to the others? Why is the government interested in making surveys of religious personnel and places of worship only of this community? We are sad that CM Basavaraj Bommai succumbed to pressure from fundamentalist groups” he added.

This story first appeared on timesofindia.indiatimes.com