A wave of attacks on Christians erupted in northwest India’s Rajasthan state following passage of harsh anti-conversion legislation even though it has yet to receive the governor’s assent, sources said.
Following passage of the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill, 2025 in the state assembly on Sept. 9, civil society groups documented nine incidents of harassment and assault so far in September, though the new “anti-conversion” law has yet to take effect.
On Tuesday (Sept. 23) about 50 members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal surrounded the Hindustan Bible Institute (HBI) in Pratap Nagar, Jaipur. They accused Christians of forcible or fraudulent conversions while two HBI officials from Chennai and Banswara were conducting a routine inspection at the pastor training facility that had operated without incident for years.
Bajrang Dal members baselessly accused the visitors of fraudulent conversion and began protesting aggressively. Instead of protecting the visitors or dispersing the mob, police from Pratap Nagar Thana detained the two HBI guests for questioning, seized their mobile phones and confiscated the institute’s laptops, landline phone, pen drive and property documents.
“The police took the two guests from outstation HBI offices to the police station in the name of enquiry and seized their phones as if they had committed a crime,” the civil societies jointly stated on Sept. 24.
The incident marked the second attack on Christians in Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma’s constituency within three days. On Sunday (Sept. 21), Pastor Daniel (who goes by a single name) was assaulted while leading Christian worship in a private home in Pratap Nagar. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered only after hours of community protests, and no arrests have been made in either case.
Christian families running the HBI center were left shaken and fearful for their safety despite engaging only in completely legal constitutional work, according to civil society members who visited them.
“They were terrified as to what may befall them when they were doing absolute legal work under the Indian Constitution,” the delegation reported after meeting the HBI families.
The Bajrang Dal was classified by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency as a militant religious organization in 2018, though the designation was later removed.
Pattern of Targeting
The attacks represent part of a broader pattern of intimidation that began after the Rajasthan Assembly passed the new “anti-conversion” bill on Sept. 9.
Civil society groups documented incidents across the state, including two attacks in Dungarpur, one in Alwar, two in Jaipur (including the HBI incident and Pastor Daniel’s attack), two cases of police harassment in Kotputli-Behror District, and two incidents in Anupgarh, Hanumangarh, including a break-in at a children’s hostel and assault of two Christian staff members.
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.
A coalition of 12 civil society organizations condemned the violence and demanded immediate action. The groups included the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jaipur Christian Fellowship, Rajasthan Samagra Sewa Sangh, Association for Protection of Civil Rights, and several interfaith organizations representing Buddhist, Muslim and Dalit communities.
“The bill’s impact has been devastating for our Christian community,” the Rev. Rajnish Jacob, chairman of the Assemblies of God, North India, told Morning Star News. “Since the bill’s passage in the assembly, over 40 Assemblies of God churches in Rajasthan were forced to close, and some pastors are now being pursued by police for arrest. What’s most troubling is that this enforcement is happening even before the governor has signed the legislation into law.”
During a meeting on Wednesday (Sept. 24) with Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjiv Nain, Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinod Kumar Sharma, and Station House Officer Manoj from Pratap Nagar police station, the civil society delegation warned them, asserting, “Till strict action is not taken, such incidents will continue.”
The delegation demanded immediate release of the detained HBI guests, return of all confiscated property, arrest of Bajrang Dal members responsible for the disturbance and strict measures to prevent further attacks on minorities.
“Such communal incidents and attacks on minorities need to stop now,” the joint statement declared.
India’s Severe Anti-Conversion Penalties
The legislation driving this wave of attacks introduces penalties among the harshest in India for alleged religious conversion violations. The Rajasthan bill prescribes imprisonment ranging from seven to 14 years and fines up to 500,000 Indian Rupees ($5,882 USD) for general conversion cases involving what the state defines as fraudulent means.
Enhanced penalties target conversions involving minors, women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and persons with disabilities, carrying prison terms of 10 to 20 years and minimum fines of 1 million Indian Rupees ($11,765 USD). Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are India’s most marginalized communities, historically considered “untouchable” under the Hindu caste system and granted special constitutional protections.
Under the new bill, mass conversions through fraudulent means face the harshest punishment of 20 years to life imprisonment with fines of at least 2.5 million Indian Rupees ($29,412 USD). The law also criminalizes receiving foreign or illegal funds for conversion activities, punishable by 10 to 20 years in prison and minimum fines of 2 million Indian Rupees ($23,529 USD). Repeat offenders face life imprisonment with heavy penalties.
All offenses under the act are classified as cognizable and non-bailable under Indian law, meaning police can arrest without warrants, and courts rarely grant bail while cases are pending. The legislation empowers authorities to confiscate property used in alleged illegal conversions and cancel registration of institutions involved.
One of the most controversial provisions exempts “reconversion” to one’s “ancestral religion” from all penalties and procedures. Hindu nationalist groups interpret this as legitimizing conversion to Hinduism while criminalizing conversion to Christianity or Islam, creating what critics argue is discriminatory treatment that violates India’s constitutional guarantee of equality.
“Re-conversion of an individual to his immediate previous religion will not be considered as conversion under the bill,” according to policy research group PRS Legislative Research. “This raises a question about the right to equality before the law.”
The law requires advance declarations to district magistrates for any voluntary conversion, with public display of personal details including names, addresses and religions involved. District magistrates are senior administrative officers who oversee local government functions in Indian districts. Post-conversion, another declaration must be filed within 60 days, and the converted person must appear personally before the district magistrate.
Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham defended the legislation during the Sept. 9 assembly session, stating it was necessary to maintain social harmony and protect vulnerable groups from alleged targeting by conversion activities. Under India’s federal system, individual states have authority to pass laws on religious conversion as a matter of public order.
Third Attempt
The 2025 bill represents Rajasthan’s third and most severe attempt at regulating religious conversion since independence. The state assembly previously passed anti-conversion bills in 2006 and 2008, but both failed to receive gubernatorial or presidential assent required for implementation.
The 2006 Rajasthan Freedom of Religion Bill prohibited conversion through “force, allurement or fraudulent means” with relatively modest penalties of two to five years imprisonment and fines up to 50,000 Indian Rupees ($588 USD). The bill required investigation only by officers of Deputy Superintendent rank or above and made offenses cognizable and non-bailable.
The 2008 attempt introduced enhanced penalties for conversion of minors, women, and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe individuals, and included provisions for canceling registration of organizations found guilty of violations. Like its predecessor, it never received the required assent.
The evolution from 2006 to 2025 shows dramatic escalation in both scope and severity. The current bill expanded prohibited grounds to include “misrepresentation, coercion, undue influence” and conversion “by marriage,” introduced mandatory advance declaration procedures and increased maximum penalties from five years to life imprisonment with fines jumping from thousands to millions of rupees.
Historically, the earliest anti-conversion law in present-day Rajasthan territory was enacted by the Princely State of Udaipur in 1946, predating India’s independence.
Striking Down the Law
Legal experts and civil rights advocates warn the harsh provisions will face immediate constitutional scrutiny once the bill receives gubernatorial assent and takes effect.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) previously challenged similar reconversion exemption provisions in Himachal Pradesh, where the High Court struck down such provisions as “irrational and violative of Article 14” in 2012. The court ruled that exempting reconversion while regulating conversion violated constitutional equality principles.
The harsh provisions are expected to face constitutional challenges once the law receives gubernatorial assent and takes effect, according to policy research group PRS Legislative Research. The legislation raises significant questions about fundamental rights including freedom of religion under Article 25, equality under Article 14, and privacy rights established by Supreme Court precedent.
“As if on cue, attacks on Christians have escalated dramatically following passage of Rajasthan’s anti-conversion bill, mirroring disturbing patterns we’ve witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Jharkhand after similar legislation,” the Rev. Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of EFI 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.”
Jacob of the Assemblies of God added that Christian communities across multiple districts are facing coordinated harassment.
“We’re seeing church closures in Dausa and Alwar, Ajmer and other towns close to capital city Jaipur,” he said. “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.”
Broader National Pattern
Rajasthan joins 11 other states in India with anti-conversion laws, part of a broader national trend under the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP, which promotes “Hindutva” or Hindu supremacy, has governed India since 2014 and controls most state governments.
The attacks have targeted India’s Christian minority, which comprises just 2.3 percent of the nation’s 1.4 billion people. In Rajasthan, India’s largest state by area, Christians represent only 0.14 percent of the 68 million population, making them particularly vulnerable to persecution.
The pattern reflects significant changes in India’s political environment since Modi came to power. Christian advocacy organizations report incidents of violence and harassment against Christians have increased dramatically, jumping from just over 100 in 2014 to more than 800 in 2024.
“Rajasthan’s bill represents a fundamental shift from protecting religious freedom to criminalizing it,” A.C. Michael, coordinator of the United Christian Forum, told Morning Star News. “The burden of proof reversal, property confiscation powers, and exemption for Hindu reconversion create a two-tiered justice system that violates the constitutional principle of equality before law.”
Christian support organization Open Doors ranks India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, a dramatic decline from 31st place in 2013. India is home to the world’s third-largest Christian population by absolute numbers despite Christians comprising only 2.3 percent of the total population.
