Persecution Legal in More Indian States

Seven Indian states now have some form of “anti-conversion” laws, but it is actually only in force in three states—Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. This legislation, known as the Freedom of Religion Acts – or anti-conversion laws – is designed to prevent religious conversion by force, fraud or allurement. In practice, their main purpose is to prevent conversions from Hinduism to Christianity.

Hindu radicals use these laws as excuses to arrest and/or attack believers, frequently imprisoning pastors and other Christians. Local governments and police are often sympathizers of the same radical ideology. The majority of states with this type of legislation are controlled by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2007, the governors of Rajasthan and Gujarat refused to approve similar laws in their states. In Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, the Freedom of Religion Act has been signed, but the rules have yet to be structured. The four states without formal   of Religion legislation have other laws that seriously oppress Christians. In the past year, VOM has logged more than 300 religiously-motivated, significant attacks against Christians, nearly all tied to nationalistic Hindu groups.