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Dara Singh's conviction hailed

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI SEPT. 16. The All India Christian Council today welcomed the conviction of Dara Singh — the main accused in the Staines' murder case — but said the delay in bringing the criminals to book had led to his deification and the creation of a `Dara Army' with a following beyond Orissa's boundaries.

In a statement issued here a day after the Khurda district and sessions judge convicted Dara Singh and his 12 accomplices in the case, the general secretary of the Council, John Dayal, said the authorities themselves have "exploited the situation to further sharpen the Draconian anti-conversion laws which make the police force and district authorities the final arbiters of an individual's freedom of choice in matters of faith''.

Further, according to the Council, "other States, including Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, have copied the Orissa laws and there are indications that the Central Government may soon bring about similar nationwide legislation''.

(See Editorial under Opinion section)

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