India’s Harshest Anti-Conversion Law Targets Online Evangelism
Christians in India are now facing the very real threat of prosecution—and in some cases, life behind bars—for doing nothing more than sharing their faith online.
This past August, the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand passed a deeply troubling amendment to its Freedom of Religion and Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The new law criminalizes using digital platforms—social media, messaging apps, websites—for what it vaguely defines as “conversion propaganda” or “incitement.”
Uttarakhand’s move is being touted as a model for other Indian states. It may well become the template for a nationwide crackdown.
Everyday Faith, Criminalized
The law casts a wide net. Sending a greeting card over WhatsApp, inviting a friend to a religious festival, posting a wedding announcement for an interfaith marriage, or sharing your personal testimony—all could now be prosecuted as criminal offenses.
It’s unclear whether a person in another state can be charged if someone in Uttarakhand claims they converted because of that person’s online message or video. This opens the door for jurisdictional overreach and legal chaos.
The punishments are staggering:
3 years to life in prison for so-called “unlawful conversions”
14 years in prison and fines up to 1 million rupees (~$12,000 USD) if foreign funding is involved
Immediate arrest without warrant
No bail unless the court believes the accused is innocent or unlikely to repeat the offense
The law even empowers authorities to seize the property of the accused based on mere suspicion of foreign involvement—before a court takes up the case.
A Law Built for Abuse
The definitions within the legislation are broad and subjective. The term “allurement” now includes material benefits, education, employment, or even promises of a “better lifestyle.” A single act of compassion could be weaponized as evidence.
The burden of proof isn’t on the state—it’s on the accused and the convert. That turns justice on its head.
Dr. Nidah Kaiser, a political science researcher at SOAS, University of London, warns that vague terms like propaganda and inducement hand enormous power to both government authorities and vigilante mobs.
“By pairing these broad definitions with sweeping police powers,” Kaiser says, “Uttarakhand’s amendments risk turning the internet into an evidentiary trap for interfaith couples and a censorship zone for freedom-of-religion speech.”
Even a YouTube video where someone explains their faith journey, or a WhatsApp message offering legal help to converts, could now be used as evidence of “incitement.”
A Long Christian History Under Siege
Uttarakhand is one of Hinduism’s most sacred pilgrimage regions—but it also has a rich Christian history. Jesuit missionary Fr. António de Andrade arrived there in the 1600s. In the 18th century, the Catholic Church thrived under Begum Zebunissa Joanna Samru—the only indigenous Catholic ruler in India.
Historian Shivraj K. Mahendra points out that the Catholic Church was forming local, indigenous Christian leadership in the region long before Protestant missionaries ever arrived.
Nevertheless, Hindu nationalist organizations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have been fanning fears of “mass conversions.” In 2024, The Organiser—an RSS publication—claimed that 40% of the Tharu Buksa tribe had been converted to Christianity.
Their alarm wasn’t just about numbers. The real concern was the methods: locals—not foreign priests—sharing their faith in a way that blends naturally into regional culture. For Hindu supremacists, this “organic” Christianity is far more threatening.
India’s Internet Becoming a Weapon
This is where the danger becomes global. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s government is laying the legal groundwork to criminalize religious conversion through any means, especially online.
The Times of India editorialized that the legislation is “a poorly designed law” that risks being used for political witch hunts. Anyone can now be arrested on suspicion of “intent.” Property can be seized. The presumption of innocence is gone.
In 2023, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) called out India’s anti-conversion laws as incompatible with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees freedom of religion—including the right to change one’s religion.
Twelve Indian states already have anti-conversion laws. More are expected to follow Uttarakhand’s lead.
A Choice for the Free World
India, the world’s most populous democracy, is using the law to persecute Christians for doing what should be a fundamental right: speaking freely about their beliefs.
This isn’t about coercion or fraud. It’s about criminalizing Christianity—especially when it’s expressed publicly, joyfully, and online.
We must not look away.
✝️ Stand With the Persecuted Church
At the Vulnerable People Project, we serve the persecuted Church where it is most threatened—in India, Gaza, Nigeria, and forgotten corners of the world.
As anti-Christian laws spread and persecution intensifies, our brothers and sisters need us more than ever. Whether it’s supporting underground pastors, delivering humanitarian aid, or advocating for the voiceless in hostile regimes, we stand in the gap.
But we can’t do it without you.
🙏 Join us in defending the persecuted Church. Give today.