Church leaders in the Indian state of Rajasthan have said that a proposed anti-conversion law has already lead to increased violence from Hindu nationalists groups.
Anti-conversion laws are in place in a number of Indian states, and while theoretically designed to prevent people being coerced into changing their religion, in practice they are used to protect and privilege Hinduism and to persecute Christianity and Islam.
Rev Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of The Evangelical Fellowship, said, “As if on cue, attacks on Christians have escalated dramatically following passage of Rajasthan’s anti-conversion bill, mirroring patterns we’ve witnessed in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Jharkhand after similar legislation."
Rev Lal 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.”
According to anti-persecution group Release International, there have already been nine assaults and harassment incidents against Christians in the last month. The proposed anti-conversion law passed the state assembly on 9 September.
In one such incident on 23 September, around 50 members of the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal surrounded a Bible institute in Jaipur and accused the Christians of forced or fraudulent conversions.
The police, rather than dispersing the mob, arrested two external Bible college officials who were conducting an inspection of the college. The pair were questioned and their phones and other devices were confiscated.
The Rev Rajnish Jacob, Chairman of the Assemblies of God, North India, told Morning Star News, “We’re seeing church closures in Dausa and Alwar, Ajmer and other towns close to Jaipur.
"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.”
Paul Robinson, CEO of Release International, said that recent incidents in Rajasthan "graphically illustrate a very disturbing trend in India".
“For a number of years now Christians, especially in rural areas, have suffered violent attack for sharing the gospel," he said.
"More recently it seems that state-based anti-conversion laws are fuelling Hindu nationalist and extremist groups to increasingly oppose Christians and Christian activity.”
