India Christians Rally Against Anti-Conversion Law At Huge Protest

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

NEW DELHI (Worthy News) – Authorities in northeast India are under pressure after at least tens of thousands of Christians protested against the expected implementation of an “anti-conversion” law that they say unfairly targets the Christian minority.

Organizers said some 200,000 Christian protesters gathered in Borum village in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh on March 6, though footage seen by Worthy News suggested slightly lower numbers.

The massive protest came amid mounting concerns about the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (APFRA), introduced by the state’s Legislative Assembly in 1978 but not implemented by successive governments.

In September last year, the Gauhati High Court directed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)- led state government to finalize the legislation’s rules within six months.

It came after Tambo Tamin, the former general secretary of the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh, took legal steps to ensure the legislation’s implementation.

In response, the Arunachal Pradesh Christian Forum (APCF), which represents concerned Christians, urged the government “to repeal” the anti-conversion law. However, the government says it “must adhere to the high court order.”

In comments seen by Worthy Mews, the APCF argued that the law “is biased” against Christians, who account for over 30 percent of the state’s population according to a 2011 census, adding “it restricts the right to freedom of religion or belief.”

CRACKDOWN ON CONVERTS

APCF President Tahr Miri believes the law will lead to a crackdown on new believers with a Hindu, Buddhist, or other non-Christian background or Christian leaders baptizing them.

“Whosoever wants to convert has to obtain permission from the district administration before he or she can convert and take baptism,” he said.

“But if it is done without permission, then the priest or pastor conducting the baptism can face arrest and fine. This is against secularism and against our rights.”

Bible-believing Christians argue that “conversion” is not a ceremony but happens if someone accepts Christ Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.

However, baptism is the expression of that faith and should not be dependent on permission, they say. Christians often cite as example Bible verses Acts 8:36-38 where Philip the Apostle baptized an important official of Candace, the queen of the Ethiopians, after explaining to him the Scriptures. “And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him,” these verses say.

Experts say Christians in Arunachal live among 26 major tribes and hundreds of smaller groups.

Miri noted that while few significant religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and other indigenous religions are protected, those embracing the Christian faith face persecution “even though we are also indigenous tribals.”

TRADITIONAL PRACTICES ERASED?

He stressed that indigenous faith groups argue that “because people go to church, their traditional practices are being erased. But that’s not true. We have the same practices even after converting to Christianity. We have only stopped practices of animism. All our other traditional practices are the same.”

He added that his group is planning “a referendum rally” but that the date is not confirmed.

Eleven states in India currently enforce anti-conversion laws. “These laws criminalize any conversion involving force, undue influence, allurement, and misrepresentation.

However, their provisions have come under heavy criticism from human rights experts for their vague legal definitions and interpretation,” said Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an advocacy group researching the situation.

“In recent years, they have also frequently been used by far-right religious groups to justify harassment, intimidation, and attacks on members of religious minority communities who have been accused of carrying out illegal conversions” in India, a mainly Hindu nation, CSW noted.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said that as “we have seen in eleven other states in India, anti-conversion laws are unconstitutional. They undermine the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief and can act as dangerous drivers of communal tension.”

He said that CSW has urged the government of Arunachal Pradesh “to heed the concerns of the state’s Christian community and not to implement” the anti-conversion “APFRA” legislation. The CSW has also asked “the governments of all states in which anti-conversion laws are already in place to repeal these laws and acquit anyone currently facing charges under them as a matter of urgency.”

Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.