Christians in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan face arrests and disruptions over alleged conversions, despite court warnings, as strict laws fuel harassment.
Newsroom (16/12/2025 Gaudium Press ) In the heart of northern India, where religious tensions simmer beneath the surface of daily life, Christians continue to grapple with a wave of harassment and arrests tied to allegations of forced religious conversions. Last week, police detained at least 12 members of the minority faith in three separate incidents across Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, underscoring a persistent pattern that church leaders attribute to the misuse of stringent anti-conversion laws.
The most recent spate of arrests unfolded on December 14 in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur district, where a routine Sunday prayer meeting in Kurkuthiya village turned into a scene of detention and seizure. Police took 10 Christians, including women, into custody following a complaint lodged by local resident Anand Dubey. He accused the group of breaching the state’s rigorous anti-conversion statute, which prohibits conversions through coercion, inducement, or fraudulent means. The detainees were swiftly presented before a local court the next day and remanded to judicial custody, a move that has become all too familiar for Christian communities in the region.
Authorities justified the action by pointing to items confiscated during the raid: four Bibles, 10 notebooks, and four mobile phones, which they described as evidence of illicit activity. Yet, for those involved, the gathering was nothing more than a peaceful expression of faith—a far cry from the nefarious intent alleged by their accuser.
Just a day later, on December 15, the crackdown extended to Jaunpur district in the same state, where two additional Christians were arrested and similarly remanded to custody. Details of this incident remain sparse, but it fits into a broader narrative of targeted enforcement that has left minority religious groups on edge.
Meanwhile, in the arid landscapes of northwestern Rajasthan, the unrest took a different form. On the same December 14, a group of Hindu activists stormed St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Bichhiwara village, Dungarpur district, during the Sunday Eucharist. The intruders disrupted the sacred service, leveling accusations against the parish priest and congregants of orchestrating religious conversions among local tribal populations.
Father Rajesh Sarel, the parish priest at the center of the confrontation, recounted the ordeal to local media with a mix of resignation and defiance. He firmly denied any involvement in conversion activities, insisting that the Mass was solely for worship. Despite his assurances, the activists issued stern warnings, threatening further action if perceived proselytizing continued. This incident, church leaders say, is emblematic of a surge in vigilantism since Rajasthan implemented its own tough anti-conversion law on September 9.
That legislation imposes severe penalties—up to 20 years in prison and substantial fines—for conversions deemed to involve force, coercion, misrepresentation, undue influence, allurement, marriage, or fraud. Critically, it shifts the burden of proof onto the accused, a provision that Christian advocates argue empowers accusers and emboldens fringe elements to file frivolous complaints. In the wake of the law’s passage, reports of intrusions into churches and baseless allegations have multiplied, painting a grim picture for Rajasthan’s tiny Christian minority, which constitutes less than 1 percent of the state’s population.
These events in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan come against a backdrop of judicial scrutiny. Less than two weeks prior, on December 2, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court issued a pointed rebuke to law enforcement in Uttar Pradesh. In a ruling that highlighted a troubling trend of misuse, the court criticized police for their “casual approach” in registering what it termed “false conversion cases.” The justices questioned why authorities should not face exemplary costs for failing to apply due diligence, warning against the rote invocation of the law in a “mimeograph style.” As a special statute with draconian provisions, the court emphasized, it demands meticulous scrutiny before application.
Yet, despite this judicial caution, the ground reality for Christians remains unchanged. Pastor Joy Mathew, a dedicated provider of legal aid to persecuted believers, lamented the ongoing disregard for the court’s directive. “Police continue to register baseless conversion cases against minorities, especially Christians and Muslims, in total disregard of the High Court order,” he said. Mathew highlighted the formidable barriers to justice under the law, noting that its stringent nature makes securing bail an uphill battle.
Echoing this sentiment, an anonymous Christian leader painted a stark portrait of life under siege: “Being a Christian in Uttar Pradesh has become difficult, as one can be jailed at any time simply for holding a prayer meeting or possessing a Bible.” In a state of over 200 million people, where Hindus comprise more than 80 percent and Christians less than 1 percent, such vulnerabilities are amplified by the demographic imbalance.
Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law, one of the nation’s harshest, mirrors Rajasthan’s in its severity, prescribing up to 20 years imprisonment for similar offenses. Enacted amid a national rise in anti-Christian incidents, these measures have coincided with the ascendance of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at both federal and state levels over the past decade. Church groups report a sharp escalation in harassment nationwide, with Uttar Pradesh leading the tally in 2024: 209 documented cases out of a countrywide total of 834.
As these incidents accumulate, they raise profound questions about religious freedom in India’s diverse tapestry. For the affected communities, each arrest and disruption is not just a legal hurdle but a profound erosion of their right to practice faith without fear. While courts have begun to push back against overreach, the persistence of such actions suggests that meaningful change may still be elusive, leaving Christians in northern India to navigate an increasingly precarious existence.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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