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Why is there a double standard on the anti-superstition law when people like Benny Hinn can come into the country and perform “miracles” ?
The bill has 12 clauses which are punishable offences as per the law:
1. Under the pretext of removing a bhoot (ghost) from a person’s body, tying that person with a rope or a chain or a stick, assaulting them or asking them to drink water soaked in footwear, hang the person to the roof, pluck their hair, ask them to touch heated objects or force them to conduct sexual act in the open or force the intake of urine or stool.
2. Make financial profits by displaying so called miracles. Cheat and terrorise people with the aid of such miracles. (This means that miracle per se is not an offence. Also, talking about the miracles from the past, telling stories of Dnyaneshwar and how he made a buffalo recite Vedas is perfectly alright). The stress is on making money.
3. With the objective of attaining supernatural powers, do something or ask others to do something that might cause injuries or risk to life.
4. At the pretext of searching for hidden treasure or water source do something that is inhuman, gruesome and ask or encourage or suggest for human life as prashad. (Some argued that existing laws were strong enough to deal with such murders. But murdering is different from encouraging. And the encouragement is not for killing of a particular person which amounts to culpable homicide but any human life which otherwise cannot be a punishable offence under the law).
5. Create a feeling of fear by giving an impression of having supernatural power or pretending that someone else has such powers or threaten that evil will befall if he/she doesn’t obey the person having such powers.
6. Creating suspicion about a person claiming that he/she performs black magic through which he/she carries evil practices and makes life difficult for that person or declare that a person is a Satan or form of Satan.
Objectionable, anything? Or against any religion? Or against personal faith? Can one find any such flaw? Further, the bill says:
7. Beating up a person or have a procession of a naked woman saying she is a witch or restrict her routine.
8. Threatening to invite a ghost and creating fear in the mind and misguiding people by claiming to cure a disease with the help of mantras by preventing medical aid.
9. Preventing medical aid and instead claiming to cure a person bitten by snake, dog or scorpion by chanting mantras or by tying threads or similar things.
10. Claiming to change the sex of the foetus in the womb by inserting fingers.
11. Giving an impression that one has supernatural powers or that the devotee was his/ her wife/ husband or paramour in past birth thereby indulging in sexual activity with such person. Having sex with a woman yearning for a child claiming to make her pregnant with supernatural powers.
12. Claiming that a differently abled person has supernatural power and using him or her for business purpose.
So, where exactly do people like him and many others who have made it a business to come to India, fool the masses and convert them in the name of faith healing stand in the bigger scheme of things ??? Why are they not banned instead of having hoards of followers in the name of secularism ?
