In what can be seen as an attempt to whitewash missionary conversion, The News Minute recently platformed Supreme Court advocate and ‘activist’ Colin Gonsalves on their podcast, “South Central”. They were discussing the topic of the Malayali nuns arrested in Chhattisgarh for conversion.
The arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala and a tribal woman in Chhattisgarh on charges related to religious conversion shocked all the leftists and Congress supporters (as well as the parties) across the board.
What Was The Case?
Sister Preeti Mary and Sister Vandana Francis, both hailing from Kerala, were taken into custody on 25 July 2025, along with Sukaman Mandavi, a tribal woman. The arrests were made at Durg railway station after a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) flagged the group for not having platform tickets. The women were subsequently booked under Section 143 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for alleged human trafficking and under Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Religious Freedom Act, 1968, both of which carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison. A local court has remanded all three in custody for 14 days, with their remand set to expire on 8 August 2025.
Colin Gonsalves Says Conversion Is Not A Crime
Gonsalves’ opening remarks in the episode were, “It’s not a crime to pray. It’s not a crime to talk to people. It’s not even a crime to convert. But the crime is forced conversion, and they don’t have any evidence of forced.”
Then he goes on to throw mud at the judiciary saying, “…there is a creeping saffronization within our judiciary and there is a lack of spine with judges not being able to stand up to the powerful central government. What a shame. We had the finest judiciary in the country in the world and now look what a pathetic state it has been reduced to.”
Then he goes on to mumble some numbers that “indicate” at “persecution of Christians.”
He then said, “They know the Christian conversion rate is very minor… their intention is to stop peaceful Christian activities. So, prayer meetings… are being stopped.”
Then he blames the police force for being “communalised”. He also labelled the government as “It’s a government of gundas, a government of totally violent people full of hate speech.
But we must gather our own forces around us.”
He further alleged, “The police go with Bajrang Dal… the police are the assailants. They fabricate crimes… the FIR is signed by Bajrang Dal activists.”
He also said “Why are we as Christians so pathetic in fighting back? Why are we so quiet? Why is our leadership so quiet? Nobody takes them to task.” in an inflammatory tone.
TNM’s Pooja Prasanna added her fangirl moment words by saying, “In Karnataka, the fight back I saw on ground were by young and old women and it was so heartening to see, we saw video after video where when Bajrang Dal goons would barge into these houses asking why you holding prayer meetings these women would yell, shoo them out of their houses saying don’t you dare come to my house again so that was u something else, I get goosebumps thinking about it.”
And when Gonsalves was asked why missionaries convert, he nonchalantly replied, “There’s nothing wrong with conversion. It’s perfectly legitimate. It’s perfectly legal as long as you do it with love and cooperation and volunteerism. There’s nothing wrong with conversion. I would not back down and step back and say, “Oh, I’m not converting. If I help people, if I assist people, if I’m there when they are in in trouble times, there’s nothing wrong in a person saying, “I have seen you in your work and I have seen you in your community and I have seen you in your day-to-day lives and I want to abide by the practices and principles of Christianity” nothing wrong, right?”
He further said, “Conversion is not a crime. And if it’s done voluntarily, it’s not a crime at all.”
Now comes the kicker. He says, “Atrocious legislation. Somebody gives you an allurement. What is allurement for God’s sake? What is an allurement? And all right, suppose I have a hospital, and I treat you and I show you the work that we’re doing and this goes for any community. I speak as if I’m a Christian or Hindu or whatever and you see my work among the poor and you are attracted allurement; you are attracted by my work. What’s wrong with that? That’s not a that’s not a crime at all. And we don’t have a single one of our leaders fighting unitedly against these anti-conversion boys.”
The co-panelists also buttress Gonsalves stating that there’s a concerted campaign by right-wing groups to demonize missionaries and Christians and what is happening is a criminalization of faith in India and justified that missionaries are often the only ones who help Dalits and tribals, so obviously they convert. One of them also justified missionary work by saying, “Different congregations went for missionary purposes… especially to northeast and tribal belts… Education was their way of giving knowledge.” Another said, “It is a heartwarming sight to see Malayali nuns in tribal belts… but they are being silenced while trying to help the poor.”
Towards the end, Gonsalves gave a clarion call for organizing lawyers, activists and journalists to organize themselves every Sunday and plan on ‘using the law’ to take Bajrang Dal activists to task, which can be construed as a threat to file false cases against the Hindu activists.
“I advise people. All of us… all of you journalists, everybody. We should have a prior program to fan out in the country. I told people.. every Sunday, I’ll travel early morning to a particular state. We’ll organize a meeting. Speak on how the law can be used. We’ll use the law against these characters (Hindu activists). Because if you catch these guys in the beginning, the Bajrang Dal fellows. File a case against them and take the case up to the High Court and Supreme Court. They stop that activity completely.“, he said in a threatening tone.
Who Is Colin Gonsalves?
Gonsalves’ casual remark, “It’s not a crime to convert” actually stands for in light of his work. Let’s take a look at what he does.
Defending The Right To Convert – Even Through Coercion and Deceit
Gonsalves’ NGO, the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN), has repeatedly filed petitions opposing anti-conversion laws in states like Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh, laws which mandate prior declaration of religious conversion, penalize conversion through fraud, inducement or marriage, and aim to protect tribal communities from predatory evangelism.
When Gonsalves says “it’s not a crime to convert”, what he omits is that even coercive or fraudulent conversions of vulnerable tribals, impoverished Dalits, or underage girls are defended by his legal team under the banner of “freedom.”
Funded By Foreign Churches
HRLN and its parent body, Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), received nearly ₹50 crore from Christian evangelical organizations including:
- Bread for the World (Germany)
- MISEREOR (Catholic)
- DKA Austria (Catholic)
- Karuna Trust UK (Dalit-evangelical front)
- European Commission
Read more on this here.
These funds were not used for “legal awareness camps” but for litigating against anti-conversion laws, obstructing deportation of illegal immigrants, and defending “activists” arrested during riots and anti-national protests.
So, when Gonsalves appears on TNM and says, “it’s not a crime to convert”, he is not just expressing a legal opinion. He is justifying the very objective of the foreign funders who prop up his legal empire.
Conversion, Courts & Collusion: What Colin Gonsalves & HRLN Have Fought For
Let’s take a look at what/who Gonsalves and his “NGO” have been “fighting” for.
Opposed Char Dham Road Project: Filed PIL to halt road expansion to the Indo-China border, essential for Indian military logistics. Argument? “Army can take the air route.”
Defended Rohingyas’ Rights to Indian Welfare: Filed PIL asking free education, healthcare, ration for illegal Rohingya migrants.
Defended Safoora Zargar & Anti-CAA Rioters: Gonsalves’ lawyers represented stone-pelters and violent agitators who led Delhi into flames with foreign money backing their court fees.
HRLN also defended AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair (accused of sharing a minor girl’s image) and Maoist-linked Stan Swamy.
Tried to Influence Judiciary via Retired Judges: HRLN stacked its boards with retired SC judges to create undue pressure in litigation across High Courts and SC.
Protected Evangelical NGOs with FCRA Violations: When SLIC’s FCRA license was cancelled, HRLN simply rebranded and routed funds through different trusts continuing to provide legal protection to NGOs accused of mass tribal conversions.
The TNM–HRLN Symbiosis: Platform Meets Legal Muscle
It is not coincidental that TNM and Gonsalves find each other. Read more on how Gonsalves’ NGO is connected to Soros’ Open Society Foundation. TNM’s chief editor Dhanya Rajendran is the chairperson of DIGIPUB, a platform of all leftist news media/organizations including Alt News, Newslaundry, etc
TNM paves the narrative road by branding tribal conversions as “social upliftment” and calling anti-conversion laws “draconian.” Gonsalves paves the legal road, filing petitions, defending foreign-funded NGOs, and weaponizing constitutional freedoms against national cohesion.
TNM is complicit with Gonsalves and the conversion mafia. Instead of scrutinizing his conflicts of interest, TNM gave him a one-sided platform to vilify Hindu groups (Bajrang Dal, VHP) as “violent” while ignoring documented cases of forced conversions. They avoid the uncomfortable questions on why foreign churches fund Indian NGOs like HRLN if their goal isn’t religious expansion.
TNM will never investigate the billions spent by churches on Indian conversions nor will it take cognizance of the exploitation of tribals, they would only cry “persecution” for missionaries.
Gonsalves’ activism follows a clear pattern. Foreign funds flow into HRLN from evangelical groups, legal defence is provided to anti-India elements (rioters, Naxals, illegal immigrants) and media platforms (like TNM) amplify his narrative, painting Hindu resistance as “persecution.”
Anti-conversion laws are attacked, enabling missionaries to continue exploiting vulnerable communities. Both Gonsalves and TNM are tools of soft insurgency, one in the courtroom, the other in the newsroom.
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.
