Date:17/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/17/stories/2002121705361100.htm

National

Law planned to regulate places of worship

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 16. As part of the Government's border management exercise, the State Governments have been advised to "maintain vigilance and prevent the misuse of places of worship'' and "co-ordinate intelligence to identify places of worship indulging in anti-national activities.''

The Home Ministry's Consultative Committee which met today said that the Group of Ministers highlighted `the indiscriminate growth of places of religious worship and instruction along the international border and their misuse for fundamentalist and other anti-nationalist activities.'' The Central Government was considering the enactment of Central legislation to regulate the activities of places of worship and religious instruction.

The Consultative Committee, which was chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani, said after its meeting that the Ministry of Human Resources Development was implementing a scheme to "modernise Madarasas'' and that funds were regularly being given to the State Governments for this purpose.

Mr. Advani also told the Committee that following recommendations, a separate division on border management had been created in the Home Ministry to deal specifically with the border security-related issues. On specific issues pertaining to India's borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and China, the Committee was told that these were now receiving the "focused attention'' of the Government. A suggestion was made that the control and administration of the narcotics trade should be shifted to the Home Ministry from the Revenue Department. Mr. Advani told the Committee that the Group of Ministers had made the same recommendation and that Government had accepted it and was in the process of being implemented.

Mr. Advani, referring to the killing in an `encounter' of two alleged terrorists in New Delhi on December 14, said that it was pre-emptive intelligence reports that resulted in the two men being killed. He said that a multi-agency intelligence set up, recommended by the Group of Ministers was already functioning.