An amendment tightening an anti-conversion law in India has Christian advocates scrambling to prevent its passage. The proposed change, introduced by a Hindu nationalist BJP-led state government, doubles the penalties for those accused of religious conversions and shifts the burden of proof onto the accused to disprove the charges.
The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion (Amendment) Bill, passed on July 20, 2024, imposes a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and strengthens the provisions against fraudulent or forced conversions. Anti-conversion laws are often misused in India to target Christians under the pretext of protecting Hindus.
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In India’s legislative system, a bill passed by a state legislature requires the approval of the state governor to become law. Anandiben Patel, the current governor of Uttar Pradesh, is a former BJP leader from Gujarat.
“We are planning to submit a memorandum to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh and hold a press conference in [the state capital of] Lucknow to address an open letter to the BJP Chief Minister,” said A.C. Michael, coordinator of the ecumenical United Christian Forum (UCF), an organization that monitors anti-Christian violence.
According to Michael, Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with over 231 million people, reported 301 of the 731 incidents recorded by UCF in 2023. Most of these incidents involved abuses of the anti-conversion law, with senior Catholic priests and pastors being arrested and imprisoned for weeks.
Uttar Pradesh police have registered 835 cases of unlawful religious conversions over the past four years, leading to the arrests of 1,682 individuals.
“However, there has not been a single conviction,” said Michael. “Yet the BJP-ruled state goes on harping on conversions and tries to make the law more draconian to harass the minorities, especially Christians.”
The Chhattisgarh Christian Forum (CCF) expressed concern in a video, stating that the Uttar Pradesh amendment infringes on the right of all Indians to “freely profess, practice, and propagate” their religion, as guaranteed by Article 25 of the Indian Constitution.
“We are facing an alarming situation in the country with various atrocities. The shocking amendment passed tramples upon our fundamental rights,” said Arun Pannalal, director of the CCF. “There is no point in mourning and lamenting. We need to galvanize the community. So, we have launched a campaign for the Christians to send letters to the Governor pleading him to not grant ‘assent’ to this draconian bill.”
Michael also noted that appeals challenging anti-conversion laws are already pending before courts in nine states.
“If the Governor refuses to heed our plea, we will have no choice but to move to the courts,” he said.
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Anto Akkara is a writer for Global Christian Relief (GCR), America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.
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