Guwahati, Feb. 21 -- In response to growing concerns regarding the implementation of the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), Chief Minister Pema Khandu has asserted that the forthcoming rules are designed to safeguard the state's indigenous culture and traditions, not to discriminate against any religious group.

Khandu explained that the move to finalize the rules was prompted by a directive from the Gauhati High Court.

Last September, the court mandated that the state government establish these rules within six months, following a petition demanding for the enforcement of the 1978 anti-conversion law, which had remained dormant due to the absence of implementation guidelines.

"For over four decades, the Act existed as a...