Christians in India’s northwestern Rajasthan state have come under increased pressure from Hindu militants since the recent passing of an ‘anti-conversion law’.
Although the bill has yet to receive governor assent it has emboldened nationalist groups in their aggressive and sustained opposition to Christians, church leaders claim.
‘As if on cue, attacks on Christians have escalated dramatically following passage of Rajasthan’s anti-conversion bill, mirroring patterns we’ve witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand after similar legislation,’ said the Rev Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI).
The Rev. Lal told Morning Star News: ‘These laws consistently embolden vigilante groups who feel licensed to target Christian communities under the guise of preventing [forced or fraudulent] conversion.’
The Rajasthan ‘Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2025’ was passed in the state’s assembly on September 9. Since that time civil society groups have documented nine incidents of harassment and assault on Christians in September alone.
On September 23 about 50 members of the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal surrounded a Bible institute in the Pratap Nagar area of Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur. They accused Christians of forcible or fraudulent conversions. At the time two external Bible college officials—one of whom was from Chennai in southern India—were conducting a routine inspection of the college.
Police officers from Pratap Nagar Thana detained the two visitors for questioning, seized their mobile phones and confiscated the Bible institute’s laptops, landline phone, pen drive and property documents.
Christian families who run the Bible institute were left shaken and fearful for their safety, according to civil society members who later visited them. Civil society groups argue that the anti-conversion bill has created a climate of suspicion and intolerance, with vigilante groups falsely framing any religious gathering or activity as an attempt at forced conversion, leading to mob violence and abuse by police.
The Rev. Rajnish Jacob, chairman of the Assemblies of God, North India, told Morning Star News, ‘We’re seeing church closures in Dausa and Alwar, Ajmer and other towns close to Jaipur. Pastors are being arrested and detained, while investigations target children’s homes, Bible colleges and house churches. Even acts of Christian charity are now viewed with suspicion as potential conversion attempts, and any third party can file complaints that put the burden of proof on us.’
Incidents in Rajasthan come on the back of news—reported in the latest edition of Release International’s quarterly Voice magazine—that the northern state of Uttarakhand has recently passed an amendment to its anti-conversion laws, increasing punishment to life imprisonment and including measures that could criminalise Christian activity on social media.
Release International’s CEO, Paul Robinson, said, ‘Recent incidents in Rajasthan graphically illustrate a very disturbing trend in India. In our annual Persecution Trends Report we warned of growing persecution there.
‘For a number of years now Christians, especially in rural areas, have suffered violent attack for sharing the gospel. More recently it seems that state-based anti-conversion laws are fuelling Hindu nationalist and extremist groups to increasingly oppose Christians and Christian activity.’
Paul Robinson urged Christians in the UK to uphold in prayer the church in India at this time and to pray that the Lord would sustain Indian Christians in a faithful gospel witness.
