The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, was presented in the 126-member State Assembly on Wednesday. The Bill, introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, aims to prohibit magical healing practices with the explicit purpose of curbing evangelism.
According to a report in The Hindu, the proposed legislation seeks to foster a safe, science-based environment, promoting social awakening, and protecting public health against harmful practices rooted in ignorance and ill health. It also aims to eliminate “non-scientific healing practices used with malicious intent to exploit innocent individuals.”
Section 3 of the Bill grants the government the authority to ban evil or magical healing practices for treating specific diseases and health disorders. Section 4 allows the government to prohibit misleading advertisements for such practices.
The bill contains several key sections addressing “inhuman, evil, or magical healing” practices. Section 5 empowers the government to penalize any act or promotion of such practices, while Section 6 extends this to include imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of Rs 50,000, or both. For repeated offenses, the convicted could face up to five years in jail or a fine of Rs 1 lakh, or both.
Section 9 of the Bill grants the government the authority to appoint police officers as vigilance officers to handle such cases. Section 16 further empowers the government to frame rules to implement the provisions of the Bill.
Following the State Cabinet’s resolution to introduce a Bill against magical healing, the Assam Christian Forum criticized the Chief Minister for his “misguided and misleading” statement equating magical healing with proselytization.
The forum emphasized that, in their context, healing is not synonymous with proselytization but is a compassionate response to human suffering, irrespective of religious affiliations. The forum insisted that labeling prayer as magical healing oversimplifies the profound spiritual dimensions of faith and life.