Nagaland Assembly Criticizes Assam Bill Against ‘Magical Healing’

KOHIMA: The Nagaland assembly in its recent session expressed deep concern over the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil Practices) Bill, 2024 that was introduced in the Assam assembly.

Deputy chief minister TR Zeliang criticized the bill claiming to go against secularism and said that it targets Christian practices.

The discussions were made during the final day of the fourth session of the 14^th Nagaland Assembly.

Zeliang strongly criticized the limitation of the bill on healing practices by Christian missionaries. He argued that healing is a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith which is protected under constitutional rights.

The minister further condemned the alleged incidents of religious intolerance in Assam, including the detention of American citizens for allegedly preaching Christianity and demands to remove Christian symbols from schools.

Zeliang urged the Assam government to withdraw the bill, stating that it threatens India’s secular principles. The minister further highlighted the constitutional guarantees of religious autonomy and called on the Assam Government to respect minority rights by repealing the ‘contentious bill’.

Meanwhile, tourism and Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along asked the assembly to call for a diplomatic approach instead of condemning the bill. He suggested that they should communicate their concerns and opinions to the Assam government.

He also appealed to the Christian community residing in Assam to seek guidance from Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Earlier, the Assam cabinet nodded to the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024 to prohibit ‘magical healing’ in the state.

According to the bill, any individual convicted of engaging in an illegal act under the guise of treatment or magical healing shall be punished with imprisonment and be subjected to fines.

The proposed bill aims to prohibit and eradicate the practices of magical healing purported as a treatment for certain congenital conditions such as deafness, dumbness, blindness, physical deformities, autism, and others.

The bill will enforce a complete ban on such healing sessions and implement strong punitive measures against the ‘healers’ exploiting the poor and downtrodden people under the pretext of treatment.

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