India: New Anti-Conversion Law Raises Fears of Persecution

“…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV)

A newly introduced anti-conversion law in the Indian state of Maharashtra has caused growing anxiety among Christians in the state capital, Mumbai. In response, churches have begun asking worshippers to sign self-declaration forms stating that their choice to attend services is “completely personal, voluntary, and independent.” These forms were drafted by pastors, community leaders, and lawyers as a precautionary step.

The Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam (Maharashtra Freedom of Religion Bill) 2026, was passed by both houses of the Maharashtra state legislature in March, approved by President Droupadi Murmu, and officially came into effect on 28 August. The law is aimed at alleged religious conversions carried out through coercion, deception, inducement, or other banned methods. It also applies to conversions connected with marriage or promises of marriage.

Maharashtra now joins 12 other Indian states that have similar anti-conversion laws: Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.

Under the anti-conversion law, anyone wishing to change their religion must provide 60 days’ notice and secure approval from the government. The conversion must then be registered within 25 days or be null and rendered void.

Those found guilty of breaking the law may face prison sentences of up to seven years and fines of 100,000 rupees (approximately US$1,000). Repeat offenders could receive prison terms of up to ten years. The responsibility to prove innocence rests with the person accused of encouraging or inciting conversion, and complaints may be submitted by a relative or acquaintance of the alleged “victim”.

Shortly before the law came into force, at least 4,000 churches in Mumbai took the unusual step of asking attendees to sign declarations confirming that they were participating in services voluntarily and without any inducement. The self-declaration states that the individual is attending the prayer meeting by their own “choice” and is under “no pressure, inducement, temptation, lure, or threat of any kind.”

The form asks for the attendee’s full name, photograph, residential address, contact phone number, and a verifiable number from a government-issued identity document. It must be signed by the attendee and countersigned by witnesses. For some converts, the forms are seen as a safeguard against possible harassment over their faith. Believers have circulated the form through social media and photocopies. Some churches have also installed CCTV cameras to identify individuals and preserve evidence if any incident occurs.

Pastor Devdan Tribhuvan, president of the Maharashtra Christian Development Association, said the forms were introduced because of concerns after incidents at prayer meetings involving the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal. “In the past, there have been incidents where Bajrang Dal members have forced their way into prayer meetings, assaulted worshippers and pastors, and vandalised church instruments. We did not receive police support when these disputes occurred,” he said.

Since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won a sweeping victory in the Maharashtra state elections in November 2024, attacks on Christians have increased. Between April and July this year, police recorded nine such attacks.  Church leaders believe the true figure may be significantly higher, as many incidents are not reported.

 

Group prayer

Father, we bring the people of Maharashtra to you today as they navigate the changes in the state. We pray for your people as they battle fear, depression and worry about the false accusations and police interference. We also pray for protection against the self-appointed religious groups who are disrupting meetings, intimidating worshippers and conducting parallel investigations. Strengthen your Church and open doors for the gospel, as the new law takes effect. We pray that believers in Maharashtra would remain faithful and courageous as they share the hope of Jesus Christ. Give them boldness to be salt and light in their places of work, community and villages and stand firm in their witness and pursue the truth. Amen.

BANGLADESH: Attack Shakes Indigenous Christian Community

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

2 Timothy 3:12–15 (NIV)

The Garo village of Jarultala in northern Bangladesh was rocked by a violent mob attack on 12 August, after inhabitants of a nearby village found the body of a missing Muslim man buried near a canal and used the discovery as a pretext for communal violence against ethnic Garo Christians.

Billal Hossain had been missing since 4 August. While police have begun investigations, the motive and circumstances of his death remain unclear.

Church leaders and residents described the assault as deliberate and targeted. According to local accounts, a large group of at least 500 people took part in the attack. Eleven homes were looted and one home was set on fire, leaving families to face fear and loss in the aftermath.

Father Lawrence Rebeiro is the parish priest of Mariamnagar Catholic Church in the Diocese of Mymensingh, which includes Jarultala village. He described the attack on the Indigenous community as planned, with significant losses: doors, furniture, televisions, and motorcycles were damaged, and livestock including cattle and goats were taken. Some families also reported losing the equivalent of US$4,000–5,000 in cash and clothing.

Several residents spoke of the intensity of the violence. Bikla Chiran, a villager, said attackers forced their way into her home, breaking locks and rummaging through cupboards and trunks: “They broke open our cupboards and trunks and scattered our belongings.” She added that household items including a refrigerator and other furniture were damaged.

The violence triggered panic across the area, disrupting daily life for a people already living with the vulnerability of being a religious and ethnic minority. For the families affected, the damage is not only visible in broken doors and scattered belongings but also felt in the lasting sense of insecurity.

“We are trying to help families to return to their agricultural work as it is the rice-planting season,” Father Lawrence stated in an interview with UCA News.

Police initially arrested 19 Jarultala residents after the incident. Fourteen were later released, while five remain in custody.

Church leaders have called for a thorough investigation and for measures to ensure the safety of residents. On 18 August, around 200 mostly ethnic minority Christians joined a protest rally in the capital, Dhaka. They demanded a probe into the attack and accused local authorities of siding with instigators and continuing to detain the five Garo Christians without proof of their connection to Hossain’s death.

 

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We pray for your protection over your faithful sons and daughters in Bangladesh.  Spare them from persecution and strengthen them in the face of violence and injustice. We particularly pray for the five Christians who remain in custody at this time and we pray that they may be released and returned to their families as quickly as possible.

We ask that you would grant wisdom to those in authority over these matters and we pray that they may be fair and just in their investigations.

And we thank you for the local Catholic priests and nuns who are serving the Christians of Bangladesh. Embolden them by the power of your Holy Spirit to continue their good work.

All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Amen.

Nepal: Three pastors arrested

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

Police in Nepal arrested three Christians in March for sharing the gospel in Rautahat district near the border with India. According to local reports, Pastors Dipak Shresta, Murari Chaudari and Dharmendra Thakur were sharing the gospel in a remote village when members of the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu extremist group based in India, surrounded and beat them up, and reported them to the local police.

The incident highlights the increasing challenges Christians are facing under the anti-conversion law in Nepal. While the 2015 constitution protects the right to practice any faith, it criminalizes proselytization, often leading to legal harassment for Christians. Violation can result in up to 5 years of imprisonment and fines.

Police are holding the three pastors despite lack of evidence. Local reports indicate that their detention has been repeatedly extended, though formal charges have not yet been finalized.

Meanwhile, also in March, a court in western Nepal dropped all charges against Pastor Janmajaya Bhattarai of illegal religious conversion of school children, due to a lack of adequate evidence. Pastor Bhattarai of Lamki-Chuha Community Church was arrested in December 2025 after he had posted information on his Facebook page regarding an outreach programme where Christians distributed gifts and clothing to underprivileged children. Several Hindu members of the school management committee then complained that the pastor was evangelising students in an attempt to convert them, contrary to the agreed terms of the gift distribution event.

Pastor Bhattarai was released from jail after three weeks, after posting bail for 250,000 Nepalese rupees (approximately US$1,600). However, the charges against him remained. The legal battle lasted about 15 months. Reacting to the verdict, Pastor Bhattarai said he felt relieved that the court had dismissed the charges. Senior pastor Tanka Subedi of the Family of God Church in Kathmandu called this a positive step toward safeguarding the fundamental human right to freedom of religion.

Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) secured a parliamentary majority in the March general elections. This government now faces the test of whether, at home and internationally, it will resist the growing influence of Hindu nationalism, which has increasingly targeted the country’s small Christian minority.

 

Home Group Prayer

Dear Lord,

We thank you for the mountain country of Nepal that you have blessed with so much natural beauty, and for your faithful people who live there. We rejoice at the work that you are doing there, and lift up those who are suffering for the sake of the gospel.

We pray for the three pastors—Dipak Shresta, Murari Chaudari and Dharmendra Thakur—who have been targeted and manhandled for sharing your Word. May the government be merciful, and may you honour the faithfulness of your ministers. Please strengthen these men, and may your Spirit embrace them with your nearness. We pray for a quick resolution to the issue so that they may continue ministering to their congregations.

Lord, we ask that your kingdom come in power in this country. May the light of your countenance bring peace, joy, and freedom to your people!

In Jesus’ name.

India: A Season of Hate

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10 (NIV)

For many Christians in India, Christmas 2025 was not a time of goodwill to all. Incited by allegations of forced conversion, trouble erupted across 11 states including Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Assam, Haryana, Gujarat, Odisha, and Uttarakhand states. Church services were disrupted by mobs, while carol singers were jeered at and harassed. A blind woman was assaulted. Even vendors selling Christmas items in the streets were targeted, with mobs smashing up Christmas decorations. A record number of over 100 different incidents were documented over the festive season.

This type of violence against churches and Christian gatherings is becoming shockingly prevalent across India. The ecumenical group United Christian Forum (UCF) has documented more than 5,000 cases across the country over the past decade. It has data showing that physical attacks, intimidation, vandalism of religious spaces, harassment, disruption of prayer services, and intimidation of clergy and worshippers have risen markedly in recent years.

In November 2025, UCF recorded 706 anti-Christian incidents. These occurred mostly in Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In December 2025, the press reported on close to 100 attempts by Hindu groups to target Christians across the country. These were more prevalent in states ruled by the Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP), raising questions about religious freedom. In Chhattisgarh, mobs burned church buildings, destroyed homes, and caused Christian families to flee for their lives. In several states, churches had to hold Christmas prayers under police protection. On the other hand, police were often present during attacks but failed to intervene.

Local church leaders believe these increasing levels of hatred are a result of the growing spread and power of several Hindu organizations with strong links to the government, as well as several controversial statements made by BJP leaders.

There have been several social media posts with videos of the attacks and harassment. These show mobs chanting hostile slogans outside places of worship and vandalizing Christmas displays, while the police stand by and look on. One video captures BJP legislator Anju Bhargav inside a church in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. In the video, she is screaming at Safalta Karthik, a visually impaired woman, and even twists her arm and grabs her face.

“What hurt me the most was that she mocked our blindness,” Karthik said. “She didn’t just target me; she shouted that all of us would be born blind again for attending a Christmas lunch.” A police officer was present throughout. Subsequently the police dismissed Bhargav’s allegation that there was forced conversion of visually impaired children at the church.

According to UCF national coordinator A. C. Michael, many attacks have been triggered by such allegations of so-called forced religious conversions. “In many cases, pastors or worshippers are detained or arrested, only for courts to later find there is no evidence. But the process itself is punishment.” Some 12 states across the country have anti-conversion laws. Hundreds of Christians have been arrested under anti-conversion laws in recent years, particularly in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh.

On 31 December, following a complaint from a local Hindu organization, the police detained 12 people including Pastor Sudhir, and his wife Jasmine. The couple were charged with allegedly converting people during a Christmas service. The couple were taken to the police station and subsequently arrested. Police then arrested others who came to the station to enquire about the matter.

To date, the government has refused to condemn the attacks. Bishop Koshy of the Madhya Kerala Diocese of the Church of South India has warned against inaction and called on the government to respond firmly: “The silence of political leadership and the government in the face of attacks on Christians sends the wrong message to the perpetrators. Such inaction, especially when a response is needed, indirectly encourages these actions.” The police when called for a response are hesitant. Police sources have stated they are under “official pressure” not to intervene. Moreover, they have even advised against seeking police assistance.

Group prayer:

Father we pray for our dear brothers and sisters in Christ in India as they face persecution, suffering, and danger. May they draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ despite all. May they be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to withstand the attacks of the enemy. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Lord, we pray you build your church in India. Through the witness of your people, may millions more come to know and follow you. We pray also for the persecutors. They are deceived and ignorant. May they come to know you also through the witness of your saints. May God bless India, its people, and especially the Christians in their tribulation.  Amen