Raipur, March 20 -- The Chhattisgarh assembly on Thursday passed a bill aimed at preventing religious conversions carried out through force, inducement, fraud or misrepresentation, with stringent provisions including life imprisonment in cases of "mass conversion". The Chhattisgarh Dharm Swatantraya Vidheyak 2026 (Freedom of Religion Bill 2026), tabled in the House by Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, was passed following five hours of discussion amid a boycott by Congress legislators after their demand to refer the bill to a Select Committee for consultation before its introduction was rejected by the chair. Terming the passage of the bill as a historic moment, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Thursday said it will put an end to religiou...