Part-time politician and actor Joseph Vijay, who heads Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has proved to be a filtered Dravidian Stock peddling missionary agenda by wishing for Tamil New Year on Pongal day.

“On this Thai Pongal festival, the Tamil harvest celebration, may the lives of Tamil kin across the world be filled with love and peace, and may their well-being and prosperity abound. Heartfelt Pongal and Tamil New Year greetings to one and all!“, Vijay wrote in his official party social media page.

He did the same on Pongal day of 2024 as well.

பொங்கல் திருநாள்!
உலகமே போற்றி வணங்கும் உழவர் திருக்கூட்டத்தின் ஒப்பற்ற கொண்டாட்டத் திருநாள். கால்நடைகள் நன்மதிப்புப் பெறும் நன்றித் திருநாள். காளைகள் திமில் நிமிர்த்திக் களம் காணும் வீரத் திருநாள்.

2026இல் உண்மையான சமூக நீதி, உண்மையான சம நீதி, உண்மையான சமத்துவம், உண்மையான… pic.twitter.com/cKWbdjZsXU

— TVK Vijay (@TVKVijayHQ) January 13, 2025

By sending Tamil New Year wishes on Pongal, Vijay is proving to be no different than DMK.

Right from the party’s so-called ‘Secular Social Justice Ideologies’ to asking for abolishing the Governor’s post, to opposing NEET, resisting Hindi, and advocating for a two-language policy, part-time politician Vijay has been doing nothing but aping the DMK.

Puthaandu or the Tamil New Year marks the first day of the first month (Chithirai) of the Hindu Tamil calendar that is based on the solar cycle. It usually falls on the 14th of April of the English Gregorian calendar.

However, the DMK and other ‘Dravidian Stockists’ observe Pongal (which occurs around January 14) as Tamil New Year as they argue that celebrating Chithirai 1 as the beginning of a new year amounts to following a ‘Brahmin-dominated’ or Sanskritic tradition which goes against Dravidian ideologies. It is nothing but an attempt to delink Hinduism from Tamil culture so that proselytizing forces can Christianize Pongal festival.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post TVK Head Joseph Vijay Goes The DMK Way, Follows Missionaries Agenda Of Christianizing Tamil New Year And Pongal Festival appeared first on The Commune.

Northeastern India stands out as a demographic exception within the country. While India as a whole is overwhelmingly Hindu with Christians accounting for about 2.3% of the population, several northeastern states have large and, in some cases, overwhelming Christian majorities.

According to 2011 Census data, Christians constitute around 88% of the population in Nagaland, 87% in Mizoram, about 75% in Meghalaya, around 41% in Manipur, and roughly 30% in Arunachal Pradesh. Elsewhere in India, Christian communities remain small minorities when compared to the northeast. These figures make the Northeast unique in India’s religious landscape.

It is important to note that this data is based on the 2011 Census, the most recent official enumeration. Given migration, conversions, and demographic change over the past decade, ground realities today may differ, though no updated nationwide religious data has yet been released.

Missionaries, Education And Healthcare

Christian missionary expansion in Northeast India was inseparably linked to British colonial penetration of the region in the nineteenth century. Missions—particularly American Baptist, Presbyterian, and later Catholic—entered tribal societies with the explicit aim of conversion, often operating in coordination with colonial administrators.

Education, healthcare, language translation, and humanitarian work functioned less as neutral welfare activities and more as instruments of religious and cultural transformation. Schools and churches became parallel institutions of governance, reshaping tribal belief systems, weakening indigenous religions, and recasting social life around Christian norms. Concentrated missionary focus on hill tribes resulted in rapid and disproportionate Christianization, producing Christian-majority states such as Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya, while accelerating religious demographic shifts in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

Most historians trace large-scale Christianisation in the Northeast to the 19th century, when American Baptist and Welsh Presbyterian missionaries began sustained work among tribal communities such as the Naga, Mizo, Khasi and Garo.

Missionaries established schools, churches and basic medical facilities in regions where colonial and later Indian state presence was limited. In Mizoram, for instance, Welsh missionary DE Jones and his colleagues set up educational and ecclesiastical institutions in the 1890s that later became the backbone of Christian society there.

Academic histories generally agree that education and healthcare were central tools of missionary expansion. However, mainstream scholarship does not record centrally mandated policies such as “no medicine unless you attend church” as formal missionary rules. Where coercion or pressure occurred, historians tend to describe it as localised, informal and uneven, rather than an officially documented system.

At the same time, oral histories and anecdotal accounts within tribal communities frequently recall a uniform social reality in which access to aid, schooling or medical help was perceived as being closely tied to church participation and conversion, even if this was not codified in written policy.

State Policy And Cultural Insulation

Post-Independence tribal policy was strongly influenced by British anthropologist Verrier Elwin, whose ideas were taken seriously by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Elwin argued that tribal societies should be protected from rapid cultural assimilation and external influence.

While some claim that Hindu ascetics were barred from entering tribal areas and missionaries were allowed free access, mainstream histories do not support the existence of a blanket legal ban on Hindu sadhus. Regulation of religious activity in “Excluded” and “Partially Excluded” areas varied by province and period, and applied at least formally to both Hindu and Christian groups.

Scholars nevertheless note that, in practice, missionary networks remained far more entrenched and institutionally influential, especially because they had already established schools and hospitals long before the Indian state developed comparable infrastructure.

Christianity And Separatist Politics

The Nagaland Case

While missionary activity brought literacy and political mobilization, it also disrupted indigenous cultural frameworks and traditional institutions. Missionary education promoted Western theological and social values that delegitimized tribal rituals, festivals, marriage customs, and ancestral belief systems, often branding them as superstition or moral backwardness. Conversion fractured community cohesion, altered identity formation, and aligned tribal elites with new religious hierarchies rather than indigenous authority structures. Over time, Christianity became a dominant identity marker, reshaping political mobilization and social organization in ways that distanced tribal societies from their pre-colonial cultural continuities. Thus, Christianization in Northeast India, emerging from a colonial-missionary nexus, produced enduring cultural dislocation and identity transformation whose consequences continue to shape the region’s social and political landscape.

The intersection of religion and separatism has been most visible in Nagaland. The National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), the most prominent Naga insurgent organisation, articulates an ideology that combines evangelical Christianity and revolutionary politics.

Hebron functions as the central base for the NSCN (I-M) insurgent organization in Nagaland, about 110 km from Kohima, where they run a shadow administration known as the ‘Government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim,’ complete with departments and a force of around 15,000 fighters. This Baptist Christian-dominated zone, inspired by a biblical city, bars access to non-locals and non-Christians.

The NSCN’s legislative body, Tatar Hoho, convenes inside a Hebron church to pass regulations and enforce severe penalties.

The NSCN (Muivah) extended its operations beyond Nagaland into Assam’s North Cachar hills and nearby areas, targeting Zeliangrong Nagas for a ‘Greater Nagaland’ vision. These hills offer strategic corridors linking Nagaland, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Assam’s Barak Valley to Bangladesh. The NSCN fueled ethnic tensions and evangelical efforts amid church influence growth in the 1980s-1990s

Over time, this synthesis was institutionalised. Insurgent governance structures in Naga areas frequently overlapped with church authority, creating parallel systems in which religious discipline reinforced political loyalty. Training, social regulation, and ideological conditioning were often mediated through faith-based frameworks, blurring the boundary between spiritual obedience and insurgent command. This convergence strengthened organisational cohesion while also sacralising violence as a legitimate instrument of political struggle.

Its slogans and documents explicitly refer to “Nagaland for Christ”, framing faith in Jesus as central to its vision of political independence from India.

This ideological fusion had deep historical roots. Early Naga political mobilisation emerged through organisations led by Christian-educated elites, beginning with the Naga Club in 1918 and later the Naga National Council under A Z Phizo. Christianity functioned as the unifying framework that transcended clan and village divisions, transforming fragmented tribal identities into a single political imagination of nationhood. The invocation of Christ as a political symbol marked a decisive shift away from pre-colonial Naga social organisation, which had been decentralised and customary rather than ideological and centralised.

The Mizo Case

Insurgent activities in Mizoram emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s, shortly after the severe Mautam famine concluded, when the area was still part of Assam. Central authorities dismissed reports of food scarcity linked to bamboo flowering and rat infestations as mere tribal myths, overlooking the crisis. Churches stepped in to aid the vulnerable hill residents during this hardship.

The Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF), led by Laldenga—still revered as a key figure—formed to tackle the shortages. By 1966, it evolved into the Mizo National Front (MNF), launching an underground campaign for Mizo independence. Government neglect during the 1958 famine distanced locals from the Indian state, allowing religious institutions to gain significant sway.

Early successes enabled rebels to seize towns like Aizawl and a radio facility, spreading fear across the Lushai hills. Pakistan’s withdrawal of aid post-1971 weakened them, prompting surrender talks by 1980. From the 1970s, Myanmar-based groups began training Northeast insurgents and supplying weapons. The conflict spanned 1966 to 1986.

The Assam Case

Assam saw insurgency rise through the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), initially protesting Bangladeshi immigration before turning to full militancy for independence. ULFA set up bases in Bangladesh from 1985 and Bhutan by 1990-1991, exploiting weak policing in wooded border zones. Groups like the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) followed, using southern Bhutan as hideouts.

The National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), a militant Christian group seeking an independent Bodoland north of the Brahmaputra in Assam, emerged in 1986 under Ranjan Daimary’s leadership. This sparked armed unrest in Bodo territories, often infringing on neighboring communities’ lands. During the 1990s, the group set up 12 camps near the Assam-Bhutan border, using Bhutan’s southern forests as secure retreats.

The Meghalaya Case

Signs of militancy appeared in Meghalaya around 1989 with the Meghalaya United Movement (MUM), pushing for an independent Khasi nation. In 1991, the Achik Liberation Matgrik Army (ALMA) formed to carve out Garo-land from Garo areas in Meghalaya, Assam, and Bangladesh. By 1992, groups like the Hynniewtrep Voluntary Council (HVC) and Hynniewtrep Achik Liberation Council (HALC) emerged, advocating armed separation from India.

The Coupland Plan And Colonial Legacies

British officials in the 1930s and 1940s proposed what came to be known as the Coupland Plan, envisioning a “Crown Colony” carved out of tribal areas of Northeast India and adjoining Burma (now Myanmar).

The plan framed these regions as culturally distinct tribal zones and as a strategic buffer between India and China/Burma. While missionaries were active in these areas, religion was not the sole or explicit organising principle of the proposal. Indian nationalists and several tribal leaders opposed the plan, and it was never implemented, though it influenced later debates on autonomy and special constitutional safeguards.

Manipur, Zalengam And Foreign Nationals

In Manipur and the India–Myanmar borderlands, some Kuki–Chin militant groups have articulated the idea of a transborder homeland, often referred to as “Zalengam”. These communities are largely Christian, but verifiable evidence directly linking the movement to organised American Evangelical funding remains patchy.

In Mizoram, insurgent mobilisation followed decades of missionary-driven social restructuring, particularly after crises such as the Mautam famine, which altered traditional authority relations. In Tripura and parts of Assam, armed groups similarly invoked religious identity alongside ethnic claims, using faith as a means of consolidation, recruitment, and moral justification. While the operational details vary, the recurring presence of religion as an organising force across multiple insurgencies points to a broader structural phenomenon rather than isolated coincidence.

Indian authorities do periodically deny visas or deport foreign nationals, including Americans, for violating visa conditions in sensitive border states. Official records, however, name only a limited number of cases. Broader claims that humanitarian aid is “mostly a cover” for militant financing go beyond what is publicly documented, even as security agencies continue to monitor such networks closely.

The Role of China and the United States

The crisis in India’s Northeast has been aggravated by sustained external interference. China has played a direct destabilising role by facilitating arms and narcotics flows through Myanmar-based networks into insurgent-held areas. The drug trade has funded militant groups while corroding local society through addiction and criminalisation, and weapons smuggled along the same routes have prolonged conflicts long after their political rationale faded. For Beijing, instability along India’s eastern frontier serves a strategic purpose—keeping a rival internally distracted and its border regions perpetually unsettled.

The American role has been more indirect but influential. During the Cold War and beyond, church networks emerged as powerful instruments of social organisation and ideological influence. While claims of formal CIA control over churches are often exaggerated, religious institutions aligned with Western worldviews functioned as durable soft-power channels, shaping education, leadership, and political consciousness in the region. Together, China’s material support to militancy and America’s long-term ideological imprint through church networks have contributed to a landscape where external interests intersect with local insurgencies—leaving India to confront a security challenge shaped as much from outside its borders as within.

A Complex Picture

The story of Christianity in India’s Northeast cannot be reduced to hymns, schools, and humanitarian slogans. It is a story of power—introduced through colonial patronage, entrenched through institutional dominance, and sustained by the systematic dismantling of indigenous belief systems. What began as religious conversion evolved into cultural re-engineering, and in several regions, into a political instrument capable of legitimising separation, disciplining populations, and sacralising violence. The convergence of scripture and the gun did not occur by accident; it emerged from decades of identity reconstruction in which faith was elevated from personal belief to a totalising framework of loyalty and resistance.

India’s post-Independence state bears its share of responsibility. By outsourcing welfare, education, and social authority to missionary institutions while insulating tribal societies from civilisational integration, the state ceded moral and cultural space it never fully reclaimed. This abdication allowed religious networks to harden into parallel power structures—some benign, others openly hostile to the idea of India as a civilisational whole. The consequences are visible in enduring insurgencies, fractured identities, and a frontier where allegiance is too often negotiated through faith rather than citizenship.

To confront this reality is not to demonise believers, nor to deny the agency of tribal communities. It is to reject the convenient myth that faith-driven transformation is politically neutral, or that religious absolutism can coexist indefinitely with national integration. If the Northeast is to move beyond cycles of grievance and militancy, India must shed its strategic amnesia and confront how belief systems were weaponised—first under colonial rule, and later through policy neglect. Anything less is not secularism or tolerance; it is willful blindness to a history that continues to bleed into the present.

The arc of the Northeast tells a hard truth—what entered as the Bible to remake belief systems did not always stop at faith, but in several cases evolved into the bullet, wielded by insurgents and foreign interests to fracture sovereignty and sustain conflict.

Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post From Bibles To Bullets: How India’s Northeast Was Christianised And How It Continues To Be Weaponised By Vested Interests appeared first on The Commune.

The Indian government’s decision to deny a visa to U.S. evangelist Franklin Graham has triggered strong reactions in Nagaland and revived scrutiny of the preacher’s long, controversial engagement with religious activities in India. Graham, president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Samaritan’s Purse, was scheduled to attend a major Christian gathering in Kohima on 30 November 2025, but was barred entry under India’s visa regulations.

Visa Denial and Political Fallout

Under the Foreigners Act, 1946, foreign nationals on tourist or business visas cannot engage in preaching or proselytising. Even missionary (M-type) visas do not allow religious activities – they only allow charity related activities. India has previously deported or blacklisted foreign preachers, most notably during the 2020 Tablighi Jamaat incident, for violating visa norms.

The Nagaland Joint Christian Forum and several political organisations expressed disappointment. The Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) issued a sharp condemnation, calling the refusal “a direct affront to religious freedom” and stating that Naga Christians had awaited Graham’s visit with “great anticipation and prayer.”

Who Is Franklin Graham?

Franklin Graham, son of world-famous evangelist Billy Graham, is a prominent American missionary and CEO of both BGEA and Samaritan’s Purse. Born in 1952, the fourth of five children, he lives in Boone, North Carolina, and became BGEA president in 2001. He and his wife Jane have four children and thirteen grandchildren.

Long History of Evangelical Activity in India

Graham has visited India multiple times across decades. His organisation has been associated with conversion-linked activities, using humanitarian aid as a mechanism for evangelism.

His India footprint includes:

1984: Laid the foundation for a church through Samaritan’s Purse, beginning a long partnership with the Evangelical Church of India (ECI) for church construction.

2010: Held the “Chennai Hope Festival,” drawing over 85,000 attendees and encouraging thousands to commit to Christianity publicly.

2011: Conducted the “Hyderabad Festival” at LB Stadium, which sparked protests by the VHP and Bajrang Dal alleging visa violations and covert proselytisation.

2020: During the pandemic, BGEA reposted older India-event videos claiming that only the “Christian God” could save people, urging Indians to “come to know the living Saviour.”

Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child, launched in 1993, has delivered 6.6 million shoeboxes in India since the early 2000s, accompanied by Gospel messages and a 12-week discipleship programme called The Greatest Journey.

A 2020 Samaritan’s Purse report claimed the organisation had helped establish 1,012 churches and 12 Bible schools across India.

Past Controversies

Franklin Graham has attracted criticism for remarks rejecting Hindu deities. In a 2010 USA Today interview, he said:
“No elephant (Lord Ganesha) with 100 arms can do anything for me. None of their 9,000 gods is going to lead me to salvation. We are fooling ourselves if we think we can have some big kumbaya service and all hold hands and it’s all going to get better in this world.” The comment resurfaced after the visa denial, prompting renewed debate about his polarising views.

Billy Graham’s Legacy and India Ties

Franklin’s father, Billy Graham, had a significant presence in India’s religious history.

1956: Met Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, preached to over 100,000 people over three days, recording around 4,000 conversions and distributing 12,000 Bibles. The visit helped global Christian organisations, including World Vision, expand their footprint in India.

Billy Graham’s first planned Crusade in Bombay was canceled due to unrelated riots, giving him time to witness local culture. His next stop, Madras, drew massive crowds. He visited Hindu temples, observed rituals, and preached to 40,000 with Telugu and Tamil translations, stressing that ‘all are one in Christ Jesus’.

1972: Met Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and conducted a massive Crusade in conflict-hit Nagaland, attended by nearly 500,000 people. Gandhi personally monitored his safety and arranged helicopters for his departure.

1977: Met Tamil Nadu Governor Prabhudas Patwari while in India for relief work after a devastating cyclone.

A village rebuilt through his humanitarian efforts was later named Billy Graham Nagar (1980).

USAID has long funded World Vision International, giving it over USD 2 billion, making it one of the agency’s top global recipients. World Vision India received hundreds of crores every year until its FCRA licence was cancelled in in October 2022 for illegal religious- conversion activities.

Billy Graham died on 21 February 2018, at age 99.

Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post A Proselytizing Preacher Who Mocks Hindu Gods, Not Tourist: Why India Denied Visa For Evangelist Franklin Graham appeared first on The Commune.

On 6 November 2025, a controversy erupted in Kota, Rajasthan, after Pastor Chandi Vargesh and several other church pastors conducted “spiritual sessions” at Birsheba Church that allegedly resulted in the conversion of local Hindu residents to Christianity. A video of Vargesh proclaiming that Christianity would soon replace “Satan’s rule” went viral on social media, triggering protests from Hindu organisations. Representatives submitted a memorandum to the District Collector and filed a complaint at Borkheda Police Station. Police have registered an FIR and begun an investigation into the allegations.

In this report, we have compiled 21 incidents from January to November 2025 documenting how evangelical groups allegedly lured or coerced poor and tribal villagers into converting to Christianity.

#1 Forced Conversions at Birsheba Church Trigger Statewide Outrage (4-6 November 2025)

In Kota, Rajasthan, Pastor Chandi Vargesh and several pastors brought from Delhi conducted “spiritual satsangs” at Birsheba Church between 4-6 November 2025. Locals alleged that Hindu individuals were converted through pressure tactics. A video of Vargesh declaring Christianity would replace “Satan’s rule” went viral, sparking protests by Hindu organisations. A memorandum was submitted to the District Collector, and a complaint was filed at Borkheda Police Station. While the church claimed the programme had official permission, police reviewed the video and registered an FIR. An investigation was launched into allegations of forced conversion and provocative statements.

#2 Illegal Conversion Racket Busted; Five Arrested in Nainapur (7 October 2025)

On 7 October 2025, Rajasthan Police uncovered a conversion racket in Nainapur where five accused – Prashant Jatav, Rohit Jatav, Ramnarayan Bairwa, Mahesh Meghwal, and Keshav Bedada targeted poor Hindu families. Investigators recovered conversion literature, pen drives, and propaganda material promoting Christianity while spreading false statements against Hinduism. Residents stated they were pressured with money and fear tactics to convert. The operation revealed structured planning by the group. Police registered an FIR under Sections 196(2) and 299 of the BNS. All five were arrested, produced before the court, and subsequently sent to judicial custody.

#3 Pastor and Son Accused of Pressuring Villagers in Sriganganagar (6 October 2025)

On 6 October 2025 in Khatalbana, Sriganganagar, Pastor Baggu Singh and his son Amandeep were accused of luring villagers into Christianity by promising miraculous healing. Victim Satnam Singh reported that the pastor declared he would be cured only if he converted. Singh alleged the pastor insulted Sikhism and its Gurus, threatened his son Sukhwinder, and conducted conversion rituals inside a house-church. Baggu Singh was previously booked in 2024 for offering ₹1 lakh for conversions. Hindumalkot Police registered an FIR; Amandeep was arrested while Baggu absconded. Pawan Singh was arrested for assaulting Satnam near the police station.

#4 Police Seize Christian Literature at Mass Conversion Meeting in Dholpur (28 September 2025)

On 28 September 2025, a large gathering at the home of Ratan Singh in Surajpura, Dholpur, was found to be a planned conversion meeting attended by over 100 villagers. Complainant Vijay stated that the organisers told locals to destroy home temples and discard idols. The accused—Ratan Singh and associates—allegedly made derogatory remarks against Hindu deities and used external funding to lure poor families. When Vijay objected, they attempted to attack him. Police seized Christian books from the scene, registered an FIR, and detained one accused while an investigation continued into the organised activity.

#5 Conversion Attempt Sparks Tension at Prayer Gathering in Bharatpur (28 September 2025)

On 28 September 2025 in Sevaar, Bharatpur, a prayer meeting held inside a private home was reported as a covert conversion operation. Local residents alerted Bajrang Dal, whose members found a large crowd gathered. They alleged that conversion attempts were underway under the guise of prayer, prompting slogans and protests. The main organiser fled before police arrived. According to Bajrang Dal coordinator Shubham Saintra, the meeting was part of an organised evangelism module targeting Hindu families. Police dispersed the gathering and initiated an inquiry into the activities conducted inside the premises.

#6 Police Seize “Target Papers,” Arrest Two in Anupgarh Conversion Case (23 September 2025)

On 23 September 2025, Sandeep from Anupgarh reported that two men, Paul Barjo and Aryan, were coercing him to convert. During investigation, police recovered documents detailing conversion targets, success records, and operational plans, confirming an organised effort. The accused allegedly focused on Hindu and Sikh families, using false promises of miraculous healing and problem-solving to influence victims. After five days in police remand, the court ordered judicial custody for both. A third accused, Vinod Kumar, remained absconding. Police stated his arrest was imminent.

#7 Christian Conversion Centre Busted in Bharatpur’s Subhash Nagar (14 September 2025)

On 14 September 2025, police in Subhash Nagar Colony, Bharatpur, exposed a conversion centre operated by Hariom Koli and Yogesh Koli. Poor Hindu families were gathered and lured with ration, clothing, money, and job promises. Inside, police recovered Bibles, holy water, and conversion material. Witnesses said women and children were being encouraged to adopt Christianity through inducements and emotional pressure. One accomplice fled with additional materials before police arrived. Officers arrested Hariom and Yogesh and seized all documented items from the centre during the raid.

#8 Church Disguised as School Found Converting Tribals in Dungarpur (14 September 2025)

On 14 September 2025, villagers in Jelana, Dungarpur, discovered that a building advertised as a school was secretly operating as a church for three years. Local Hindu groups found tribals being instructed to offer Christian prayers inside the premises. The operators allegedly misled families by presenting religious conversion as educational support. Community leader Gopalram Maharaj stated that ongoing conversion activity had targeted multiple tribal households. Police presence was recorded, though no arrests were immediately confirmed. Investigations into the misuse of the school cover continued.

#9 Man Offered Money and Benefits for Conversion in Banswara (6 September 2025)

On 6 September 2025, RP Patresh and his group attempted to convert residents of Bocharda, Banswara, by offering ₹5,000 monthly support, free education, and medical benefits. When Congress district president Kamlesh Damor arrived with workers to oppose the efforts, the accused assaulted them and issued death threats. Patresh’s supporters allegedly stormed the police station with sticks to intimidate the complainants. Kamlesh filed an FIR at Kesarawadi Police Station. The conversion network was described as organised and targeting vulnerable families.

#10 Forced Conversions of Children Exposed in Alwar Missionary Hostel (3 September 2025)

On 3 September 2025, Alwar Police raided a missionary hostel in Syed Colony, Udyog Nagar, rescuing 52 children reportedly forced into Christian practices. The facility, operated by Tamil Nadu-based “Naya Jeevan Sanstha,” housed children aged 6–17 from Alwar, Hanumangarh, and Delhi. Victims said Father Amrit and caretaker Sonu Rayasikh pressured them to abandon their religion. Police recovered Bibles and conversion material. Both accused were arrested, and the children transferred to safety. A formal FIR was registered.

#11 Pastor Bajinder Ran Major Conversion Event in Bharatpur (22 August 2025)

On 22 August 2025, police raided a large evangelist gathering at Sonar Haveli in Atal Bund, Bharatpur, where Pastor Bajinder Singh, already jailed in Punjab for a rape case, conducted a mass conversion event via video displays. Around 350 attendees were provided food, cash, and “healing promises.” Women were given ₹500 each to convert. Police seized objectionable material and religious books and arrested three organisers. Bajinder was later brought on a production warrant. Authorities also examined foreign funding linked to his accounts.

#12 Conversion Operation Found in Sikar’s Shanti Nagar Church (13 August 2025)

On 13 August 2025, Sikar Police uncovered conversion activities inside Shanti Nagar Church, where Pastor Shelvan and members kept diaries listing targeted Hindu families. Residents found people being pressured to accept Jesus during a prayer meeting. Police seized diaries, religious books, and conversion material. Both the church group and Hindu organisations filed cross-complaints, after which police detained suspects and initiated an investigation.

#13 Secret Conversion Plot Uncovered in Bikaner’s Valmiki Basti (27 July 2025)

On 27 July 2025, police in Valmiki Basti, Bikaner, detained a group led by Ajit Kumar running a secret conversion module inside a rented house. Around 15–20 residents were being persuaded to convert using promises of protection and statements promoting extremist ideas. Police recovered Bibles, conversion literature, violent notes, and links to earlier exposed modules in Bengla Nagar. Twelve individuals were detained, and questioning was launched.

#14 Mass Conversions at Dausa’s Agape Fellowship Church (29 June 2025)

On 29 June 2025 in Dausa, VHP and other Hindu groups protested outside Agape Fellowship Church, alleging thousands of conversions had been conducted over the years. Pastor Thomas George reportedly used prayer sessions to influence economically vulnerable residents and later performed rituals at hidden locations where Hindu symbols were removed. Police received a formal complaint and launched an inquiry into allegations of long-running conversion activity.

#15 Woman Dies by Suicide After Forced Conversion Pressure in Bharatpur (15 June 2025)

On 15 June 2025, 25-year-old Manja from Talimpur village died by suicide after recording a video accusing her husband Laxman, mother-in-law Ramdei, and brothers-in-law Arun and Rohtash of forcing her to convert to Christianity while also demanding dowry. Married on 21 January 2015, she discovered her in-laws secretly practiced Christian rituals. She alleged pressure to abandon Hindu worship and fulfil dowry demands including ₹1 lakh and a Bullet motorcycle. Police treated the suicide video as primary evidence and registered an FIR.

#16 Pastor Accused of Coercing Family Through “Alcohol Cure” in Ajmer (24 May 2025)

On 24 May 2025, a youth from Foysagar Road, Ajmer, alleged a pastor from Kundannagar lured him with claims of curing alcohol addiction. The pastor administered a liquid, forced him to attend a Bible centre, removed Hindu deity photos from his home, and discouraged regular worship. He reportedly influenced the victim’s wife and sister-in-law, leading the sister-in-law to convert. Police received a formal written complaint and began an inquiry.

#17 Foreign Missionary Booked for Converting Bhil Families in Kota (21 April 2025)

On 21 April 2025 in Kaithoon, Kota, police booked foreign national Colleen and organiser Joy Mathew for conducting conversion programmes among the Bhil community. Bajrang Dal workers claimed the duo gathered tribal families for conversion without permission. Police registered an FIR under Section 13 of the Foreigners Act, detained the accused, and verified their involvement in unauthorised religious activity.

#18 Sirohi Evangelist Event Disrupted; Four Detained (6 March 2025)

On 6 March 2025, police disrupted a conversion event at Anwar Nagauri’s agricultural well in Revdar, Sirohi, where 120–150 Adivasis were gathered. Preachers claimed they could cure illnesses and that “no law applies to them.” Police detained four individuals and seized Bibles. Later, villagers gathered at the police station demanding release of the accused. Police sent them home and continued the inquiry.

#19 Secret Tribal Conversion Drive Busted in Udaipur (16 February 2025)

On 16 February 2025 in Udaipur, police raided the home of Chhaganlal Bhagora, who had gathered 11 tribal people for conversion through prayer meetings and inducements. In another linked incident in Bikaner, missionaries organised a covert conversion event in Bangla Nagar targeting tribal families. Police detained all 11 participants along with the house-owner couple and seized conversion materials.

#20 Evangelical Group Arrested for Conversions in Kasarwadi (24 January 2025)

On 24 January 2025, Kasarwadi Police arrested Shailendra Dodiyar and five others for attempting to convert Mangilal’s family by offering money and insulting Hindu deities. The group had been distributing Christian books to ST families across the settlement. Police seized conversion material and registered an FIR.

#21 Five Arrested for Offering Cash to Force ST Families into Christianity in Banswara (9 January 2025)

On 9 January 2025, Banswara Police arrested five men—Tolsingh Garasia, Suresh Pitar, Pappu Humarmal, Rajesh Badra Garasia, and Makna Singh Garasia—after discovering a late-night gathering of ST families. The accused offered ₹1 lakh per person, monthly allowance, clothes, and household items to force conversions. They allegedly insulted Hindu deities and conducted Christian rituals. Police filed charges and seized religious material.

Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post 21 Documented Incidents Reveal Evangelical Conversion Push In Rajasthan appeared first on The Commune.

A senior journalist with The Hindu, Varghese K George, has stirred fresh controversy with a social media thread that reads more like a sermon than a sober rejoinder. Responding to criticism of his recent column on the Indian diaspora, George made a sweeping claim that “the arrival of Christianity in Kerala precedes the arrival of Vedic practices and ideas,” adding that Christianity is “less foreign” to India than Hinduism is to the West.

His statement came after backlash to his article titled “India’s Diaspora diplomacy and the limits of cultural nationalism abroad” where he argued that the display of Hindu cultural practices such as Ganesh visarjan (immersion) or Deepavali fireworks in countries like Canada, the US, and Australia risked crossing “limits of acceptable public behaviour.” He suggested that the Indian diaspora’s growing cultural assertiveness was colliding with “heightened nationalism” and “fear of foreign interference” in the West.

But when confronted by readers who saw his piece as one-sided and subtly anti-Hindu, George deflected with an extraordinary historical assertion about the supposed precedence of Christianity over Vedic traditions in Kerala.

1/n
In a recent article, I argued that India’s diaspora mobilisation/Hindutva politics in the West need to account for following facts 1) Heightened nationalism in the West 2) Concerns regarding foreign interference in domestic politics among nationalists & liberals n the West.

— Varghese K George (@vargheseKgeorge) October 30, 2025

“In Kerala,” he wrote, “the arrival of Christianity precedes the arrival of Vedic practices and ideas… To the extent that any idea, faith or ideology can be ‘foreign’ to any place, Christianity in Kerala is less ‘foreign’ than Vedic religion in Kerala.”

Such a statement would sound familiar to anyone versed in missionary rhetoric from the colonial era – the very line once used by European proselytizers to claim antiquity and legitimacy for imported faiths in the subcontinent. George’s framing not only dismisses well-established archaeological and textual evidence of pre-Christian Vedic and Dravidian cultural presence in the region, but also recycles the long-debunked “St. Thomas in India” narrative used to lend ancient roots to Christianity on Indian soil.

Hinduism In Kerala Is Older Than His Imported Religion

Varghese K. George’s claim that “the arrival of Christianity in Kerala precedes the arrival of Vedic practices and ideas” isn’t just historically untenable — it’s an echo of missionary propaganda that scholars discredited decades ago. Such assertions aren’t history; they’re theology masquerading as journalism.

Long before the first missionary ships from Rome or Syria touched India’s western coast, Kerala had already absorbed centuries of Vedic thought, ritual, and philosophy. The state’s cultural and spiritual landscape — its temple architecture, oral recitations, and priestly lineages — are steeped in a continuity that traces back to the earliest strata of Indian civilization.

Let’s begin with the foundation myth of the land itself. Kerala, according to tradition, was reclaimed from the sea by Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu. He hurled his axe from Gokarna southward, commanding the ocean to retreat, thus creating the fertile strip we know today as Kerala — Bhargava Kshetram, the Land of Parashurama. This isn’t merely legend; it’s a civilizational charter. It explains why Kerala’s very geography, temple layout, and social institutions  are tied to Vedic cosmology and ritual systems.

Long before any cross or chalice appeared on the Malabar coast, Kerala’s spiritual soil was rich with Hindu syncretism. The worship of Bhagavathi (the Mother Goddess), Ayyappa (the celibate warrior-deity of Sabarimala), Kuttichathan, Serpent gods (Nāga Devatas), and Kandanar Kelan blended seamlessly with the Vedic fire sacrifices and temple rituals introduced by the Namboothiri Brahmins. The Theyyam performances of North Kerala, where gods and ancestors descend to dance among the people, draw directly from this indigenous spiritual continuum — not from imported creeds or colonial catechisms.

Vedic learning thrived here centuries before the supposed arrival of St. Thomas. The Śrauta yajnas performed by Namboothiri priests in villages like Panjal are not re-enactments — they are living fossils of rituals described in the Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa. The Vedic Manuscripts in Kerala study records how ancient methods of oral transmission have survived “from very ancient days” preserving the ṛg, yajus, and sāma chants in pristine form.

Even modern scholars acknowledge that Kerala’s Hinduism is an intricate blend of Vedic Brahmanism and nature worship belief systems — a synthesis that long predates Christian contact.

By contrast, the tale of Christianity’s origin in Kerala — the legend of St. Thomas arriving in AD 52 — is, at best, tradition, not verified history. The Kerala Tourism department itself concedes that “the visit of St. Thomas is still a matter of dispute among historians.” Even Encyclopaedia Britannica terms it “a matter of tradition.” No archaeological trace, no contemporary record, and no textual mention supports the claim of a first-century Christian presence. It survives because it flatters the colonial ego — the same way some Indian elites today flatter Western narratives to appear “liberal” and “objective.”

So when George tweets that Christianity is “less foreign” to Kerala than Vedic religion, he isn’t offering history — he’s delivering a sermon. The statement is theological, not factual; ideological, not analytical. It’s the familiar trope of Christian exceptionalism disguised as secular rationality — the colonial impulse to declare the native faith as alien and the imported one as indigenous.

If his logic were applied globally, we’d have to call Islam “less foreign” to Spain than Catholicism, or claim that the British monarchy predates Stonehenge. Such historical gymnastics belong not in journalism, but in pulp theology.

Kerala’s cultural memory tells a different story — one sung in the chants of Soma Yajnas, painted in the Theyyams, and carved in the granite sanctums of Bhagavathi temples. It’s a land where every grove, river, and shrine still whispers Vedic rhythm. The soul of Kerala wasn’t baptized — it was born of fire, mantra, and myth.

In trying to “decolonize” Hindus abroad, Varghese K. George has instead revealed how thoroughly colonized his own mind remains.

Drop The Pen And Wear A White Frock

Ironically, while George’s original article warned about “Indian cultural nationalism” spreading abroad, his own argument now reveals the unmistakable tone of Christian cultural nationalism – one that subtly delegitimizes Hinduism’s roots while positioning Christianity as a “native” Indian tradition.

A Hindu asserting that Vedic ideas preceded Christianity would be instantly branded “chauvinist,” yet a journalist in a mainstream national daily can claim the reverse without scrutiny. The outrage over his remarks has intensified not just because of the historical inaccuracy but because it exposes the ideological bias of a section of Indian media elites who routinely deride Hindu cultural expression as “exhibitionism” but romanticize Abrahamic proselytization as “universal” or “humanist.”

By reducing Hindu practices abroad to a “foreign interference” problem and elevating Christianity as indigenous, George inadvertently reinforces exactly what many accuse the Westernized Indian media of doing – echoing colonial tropes about Hinduism being alien, oppressive, or backward while framing Christianity as civilizationally benign.

If The Hindu journalist’s goal was to appear “objective,” his thread achieved the opposite. The claim that Christianity is “less foreign” than the Vedic religion in Kerala may win applause among missionary historians, but it is tone-deaf and factually unsound, especially coming from someone who positions himself as a journalist.

For a publication that claims to write with ‘rationality and secularism’, George’s pronouncements have crossed into theological apologetics. His remarks sound less like historical analysis and more like a carefully coded defense of Christian exceptionalism – the very ideology that once justified colonial conquest.

In trying to lecture Indian Hindus about “acceptable public behaviour” and “foreign interference,” Varghese K George has instead revealed how deeply colonial categories still shape the Indian English media’s moral compass.

Subscribe to our channels on WhatsApp, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube to get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally. 

The post “Arrival Of Christianity In Kerala Precedes Vedic Practices”: The Hindu Journo Varghese K George Speaks Like A Christian Missionary, But Parashurama’s Land Is Older Than His Paramapitha’s History appeared first on The Commune.

A detailed report submitted by the Superintendent of Police, Dakshina Kannada District, has uncovered a major racket involving individuals falsely posing as Human Rights Commission officers to interfere in matters related to the Dharmasthala temple. The investigation, forwarded to the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission, exposes how impostors, including a pastor John Simon from Bengaluru and a rowdy Madan Bugudi from Hubballi, misused the name of the commission to intimidate officials and spread misinformation about the revered Hindu shrine, Dharmasthala.

Complaint And False Representation

The chain of events began after the Kannada daily Kannadaprabha published a report on 26 August 2025 titled:
“Rowdy sheeter among fake Human Rights Commission officers who came to the police station with Girish Mattanna.”

Acting on the report, the Human Rights Commission initiated a suo motu complaint under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The matter was referred to the Belthangady Police for a detailed probe.

During the inquiry, officers found that when activist Mahesh Shetty Timarodi visited the Belthangady Police Station accompanied by Girish Mattannavar, several others joined them. Among these individuals was Madan Bugudi, who appeared in formal attire and falsely introduced himself as an officer of the Human Rights Commission. Upon verification, police confirmed that no such position was ever held by Bugudi. Instead, he was identified as a notorious rowdy-sheeter from Hubballi, previously paraded publicly by the Hubballi Police Commissioner during a roll call of known offenders.

Pastor John Simon And The Fake Human Rights Network

Further investigation revealed the involvement of another impersonator, John Simon, who also claimed to represent the Human Rights Commission.

According to the report, Simon had been operating in Bengaluru using counterfeit human rights credentials to threaten police officers and extort money under the pretext of providing “protection.” Police discovered that Simon runs a private church in Doddaballapura, where he acts as pastor, and has registered an NGO named “Human Rights Anti-Corruption Social Justice Commission.”

Investigators found that Simon approached citizens claiming he could “help if police tortured them,” thereby creating a network of extortion and manipulation. Several public complaints have since been filed, demanding that stringent criminal action be taken against him.

The report describes John Simon as a self-styled Christian pastor who “has brazenly misused the guise of human rights to manipulate citizens and challenge governmental authority in broad daylight.” Despite operating openly under fake credentials, “it took an inordinate delay for authorities to initiate action against him.”

Shocking news

Police report reveals that Christian conversion-link behind Dharmasthala controversy.

It has come to light that John Simon from Bengaluru, who supported Girish Mattanna against Dharmasthala case, appeared under the guise of a Human Rights Commission officer. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/9QlY60lP7h

— Mohan Gowda (@Mohan_HJS) October 7, 2025

A formal complaint from Praveen K.R., son of Ram Gudigar and resident of Kattadabailu Mane, Dharmasthala village, Belthangady taluk, has now been forwarded to the Belthangady Police Inspector for further legal action.

Attempt To Defame Dharmasthala Temple

On 30 August 2025, Girish Mattannavar and Madan Bugudi visited the Belthangady Police Station again and held a media interaction, claiming to be devotees of Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala.

The police report clarifies that their real motive was to create unrest, disrupt communal harmony, and tarnish the temple’s religious reputation. By introducing himself to reporters as a human rights officer, Bugudi misled the media and damaged the credibility of the official Human Rights Commission.

Police also noted that Girish Mattannavar and Mahesh Shetty Timarodi were in close coordination with bloggers and social media activists, including Mohd Sameer, to spread false and defamatory narratives against Dharmasthala temple authorities.

Legal Action And Registered Case

After gathering sufficient evidence, Belthangady Police registered Case No. 100/2025 under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, signaling the gravity of the offenses.

The invoked sections include Section 204 – destruction of evidence, Section 319(2) – impersonation of a public servant, Section 353(2) – obstruction of lawful duty, and Section 3(5) – aggravated misuse of authority.

These charges reflect the deliberate attempt by the accused to mislead authorities, obstruct justice, and exploit state institutions for ideological and personal motives.

A progress report has already been submitted to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, confirming that the case remains under active investigation by the Dakshina Kannada Police. Authorities have vowed to treat such fraudulent use of human rights credentials with “the utmost seriousness” and prosecute offenders under the full extent of the law.

Pastor’s Alleged Involvement And Religious Manipulation

Police findings stress that John Simon is a habitual impersonator who repeatedly interferes in official investigations while exploiting the banner of human rights for “personal and ideological gain.” His role as a Christian pastor, his fake NGO registration, and his targeting of Hindu religious institutions, particularly Dharmasthala, suggest a conversion-linked motive, according to investigators.

Authorities have recommended that strict legal and administrative measures be imposed to prevent such fraudulent human rights operatives from exploiting religious or social conflicts to weaken Hindu institutions.

The report concludes that the Dharmasthala controversy was built on a “web of deceit.” Genuine devotees including Chinniah also known as the ‘masked man’ and Sujatha Bhat were allegedly scapegoated to protect a larger propaganda network run by Girish Mattannavar, Mahesh Shetty, and their associates such as Sameer Mohammad.

This group, the report states, “attempted to spread a fabricated narrative against one of Karnataka’s most revered Hindu institutions.” Initially, even some Hindu devotees were misled by their orchestrated stories, but as evidence surfaced, it became clear that the entire episode was part of a deliberate conspiracy fueled by fake human rights activists and a pastor posing as a Human Rights Commission officer.

The findings raise troubling questions:

What connection does a Christian pastor have with temple affairs? Is there a larger conversion syndicate behind the scenes? Are external elements from Kerala playing a role in spreading this propaganda against Dharmasthala?

(With inputs from Hindu Post)

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Pastor And Rowdy Among Fake Human Rights Team That Tried To Defame Dharmasthala: Police Report appeared first on The Commune.

In the villages of G. Kallupatti and Genguvarpatti near Vathalagundu, a curious annual spectacle unfolds every October. Thousands gather to honor a British missionary, Brother James Kimpton with processions, floral tributes, and annadhanams. The late missionary, fondly called “Thatha” (grandfather), is now celebrated like a local deity, his image paraded in chariots through temple-lined streets.

#NewsUpdate | திண்டுக்கல்: வத்தலகுண்டு அருகே ஜி.கல்லுப்பட்டி கிராமத்தில் 1974ம் ஆண்டு தங்கியிருந்து சுற்றுவட்டார கிராமத்தில் ஏழை, எளிய மக்களின் நலன்களுக்காக பாடுபட்ட ஜேம்ஸ் கிப்ம்டன் எனும் வெள்ளைக்கார தாத்தாவின் நினைவு தினம்

முளைப்பாரி எடுத்து, ஊர்வலமாக வந்து நினைவிடத்தில்… pic.twitter.com/dgVcvAptlZ

— Sun News (@sunnewstamil) October 5, 2025

But behind the façade of reverence lies a troubling story of cultural subversion and the long shadow of missionary influence in rural Tamil Nadu.

A Missionary’s Second Home in Tamil Nadu

Born in Wales in 1925, Kimpton joined the Catholic De La Salle Brothers, a missionary order blending education with evangelization. After being expelled from Sri Lanka in 1964 due to that country’s decision to curb foreign religious interference, he found fertile ground in Tamil Nadu. In 1974, he founded Reaching The Unreached (RTU) in G. Kallupatti, a charitable society that quickly expanded into a sprawling welfare empire across Theni and Dindigul districts.

RTU’s projects included orphanages, schools, women’s self-help groups, HIV support programs, and housing schemes, all funded by Western religious and secular organizations. While the visible outcome appeared philanthropic, the institutional control and ideological structure remained firmly under the Catholic order’s grip.

Charity as a Tool of Religious Influence

Kimpton’s public persona was that of a saintly foreigner devoted to the poor, but his alleged model of “service without conversion” followed a well-known postcolonial missionary formula using welfare as a moral gateway rather than a pulpit. The constant presence of Christian symbols, the use of Western names like “Boys’ Town,” and the subtle introduction of biblical moral narratives in daily life quietly normalized Christian authority among Hindu villagers.

This approach did not need overt conversion drives. Instead, it replaced traditional community structures with missionary-administered ones, orphanages instead of gurukulams, foreign-funded schools instead of local schools, imported models of charity instead of dharmic seva. Over time, it fostered a deep dependence on foreign-controlled institutions, ensuring that gratitude and faith flowed upward toward the Church.

Dependency and Displacement of Local Dharma Institutions

The massive scale of RTU’s activities effectively displaced native systems of social support. Rather than empowering local self-governance or temple-based welfare traditions, the organization centralized authority in missionary hands. Even after Kimpton’s death in 2017, the institution remained within Catholic administration under the Capuchin Friars, a clear signal that the project was never meant to become community-owned.

The dependence created through these welfare structures has had enduring consequences. Generations of rural families have come to equate education, healthcare, and charity with Christian institutions, slowly eroding the role of local mutts, temples, and dharma sabhas in social life.

The Deification of a Missionary

Perhaps the most revealing symptom of this long-term influence is the near-deification of Kimpton himself. Villagers now perform rituals for him with molapari, processions, and offerings, practices traditionally reserved for local deities. This phenomenon, while framed as affection, reflects a deeper cultural confusion: the absorption of a foreign missionary into Hindu ritual frameworks, turning spiritual reverence into cultural submission.

Such syncretic devotion blurs the lines between respect and religious influence. It demonstrates how sustained missionary presence, cloaked in welfare, can reshape local belief systems until even villagers begin to sanctify their colonizer.

A Continuing Pattern in Rural Tamil Nadu

Kimpton’s legacy is not isolated. It represents a broader pattern of how Christian missions operate in India’s interior: building goodwill through service, embedding foreign values under the language of “compassion,” and gradually replacing traditional Hindu frameworks of social responsibility.

The result is a slow but steady erosion of indigenous cultural confidence. While Tamil Nadu’s temples and mutts once sustained entire villages through annadhanam and vidya daanam, today the same functions are often outsourced to missionary NGOs with international funding and long-term ideological goals.

A Lesson in Cultural Vigilance

Brother James Kimpton’s story is often presented as one of selfless service, but viewed through the lens of Dharma, it also serves as a cautionary tale. It shows how foreign religious networks can embed themselves deep within rural India, transforming the very meaning of service, charity, and worship.

For a civilization that once viewed seva as sacred duty rooted in Dharma, the veneration of a missionary as a village god is not a mark of harmony, it is a warning of how cultural memory can be reshaped through dependence. As Tamil Nadu continues to navigate questions of faith, identity, and influence, the cult of “Thatha” Kimpton stands as a reminder that every act of foreign charity in a vulnerable land carry more than food and medicine, it carries a message, and a mission.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post The Deification Of A Missionary, James Kimpton, In Rural Tamil Nadu appeared first on The Commune.

Between 2021 and 2025, a series of disturbing cases across India highlighted the misuse of educational spaces by evangelical forces to target poor, tribal, and underprivileged children for religious conversion. Reports from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, and other states revealed a pattern of coercion, inducements, and misuse of hostels and classrooms. Investigations by police, child rights bodies, and education departments have brought several cases to light. Below is a compilation of 20 incidents that underline the scale and seriousness of this issue.

#1 Rajasthan Hostel Forces Children Into Conversion

On 3 September 2025, Rajasthan Police raided a Christian missionary hostel in Alwar, uncovering systematic religious conversion activities allegedly run by the Chennai-based Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB). Two men, Amrit Singh and Sonu Raisikh, were arrested for indoctrinating 50 children from Sikh, Rajput, and Scheduled Caste families. Investigators found Bibles, digital material, and testimonies showing children were taught to reject their faiths and accept Christianity. Parents confirmed being lured with promises of education. Amrit, previously arrested in Sikar for similar offences, is accused of running a wider network. An FIR has been filed, and a state-level probe is underway.

#2 Headmaster Accused of Promoting Christianity in Chhattisgarh

On 4 June 2025, locals in Telai Dhar, Batai, Chhattisgarh, complained that a missionary-run primary and secondary school operating on government land for nearly 50 years was conducting Sunday church services inside its premises. Headmaster Shanilal Tigga was accused of supporting these activities, which villagers said violated rules and disturbed the educational atmosphere. The Block Education Officer confirmed an inquiry would be conducted. Critics argue that the misuse of government land for religious promotion raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in mission-run schools.

#3 Douglas Memorial in Bilaspur Under Fire

On 23 April 2025, Douglas Memorial Christian Missionary Institution in Takhatpur, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, faced complaints for allegedly luring poor tribal children into conversion under the guise of free education and accommodation. Locals claimed that instead of focusing on academics, the institution promoted Christian teachings and groomed students to later act as pastors. A formal complaint was filed with the Chief Minister and Bilaspur Collector, prompting authorities to open an investigation.

#4 Nursing Student Pressured by Principal in Jashpur

On 9 April 2025, a final-year nursing student at Holy Cross Nursing College in Kunkuri, Jashpur Nagar, Chhattisgarh, accused Principal Sister Vincy Joseph of pressuring her to adopt Christianity. The student reported harassment, threats of expulsion from the hostel, and being barred from exams for resisting. Police registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act.

#5 Tribal Children Coerced in Madhya Pradesh Hostel

On 29 March 2025, officials discovered that 48 Gond tribal children housed in a residential facility in Mandla, Madhya Pradesh, were being indoctrinated into Christianity by an NGO named “Sign for India.” The State Child Rights Commission found discrepancies in records, children were listed as Hindus in official documents but marked as Christians in hostel registers. Shockingly, CCTV cameras were discovered in the girls’ bathrooms, raising privacy and safety concerns. Many children expressed aspirations to become pastors instead of professionals. Authorities opened inquiries into the hostel’s management and suspected funding sources.

#6 Religious Indoctrination at Jashpur Mission School

On 19 March 2025, villagers in Kunkuri, Jashpur Nagar, Chhattisgarh, accused a local mission school of conducting Bible classes disguised as “moral science” sessions. Parents alleged their children were discouraged from celebrating Hindu festivals and pressured to attend church. Locals complained that the school, funded partly by foreign charities, deliberately targeted Adivasi children with free meals and uniforms. Officials confirmed they were reviewing the school’s curriculum and operations.

#7 “Jesus Will Cure You”: Nun’s Conversion Attempt in TN Hospital

On 1 March 2025, a controversy erupted at Tirunelveli Government Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu. A Christian nun was reported to have entered the fracture ward, prayed over patients, and attempted to convert them by claiming “Jesus will cure your illness.” The Hindu Munnani organization accused priests and nuns of regularly visiting hospital wards to preach and pressure vulnerable patients into conversion, blurring the lines between healthcare and proselytization.

#8 Tribal Girls Flee Khargone Hostel Over Conversion Pressure

Fifteen minor girls fled the Ajja Girls Hostel in Chirwa, Khargone, on 27 January 2025, alleging forced religious conversion and abuse. They accused warden Rita Khatte of physical and mental harassment, compelling them to read the Bible, attend Christian prayers, and perform household chores. An inspection by the Block Education Officer led to the seizure of religious books. The warden was subsequently removed from her position and replaced pending a detailed inquiry.

#9 Unauthorized Prayers at Govt-Leased Hostel in Andhra Pradesh

On 4 February 2025, a government-leased BC Residential Hostel in Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh, was found to be conducting unauthorized Christian prayer sessions for over 55 Backward Class students from grades 3 to 10. The activities allegedly violated constitutional provisions prohibiting forced religious instruction in government-aided institutions. The Legal Rights Protection Forum filed a complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

#10 Anganwadi Worker Teaches Christian Lessons to Toddlers

A viral video from 8 January 2025, showed an Anganwadi worker in Patkura village, Surguja, Chhattisgarh, teaching Christian religious lessons to toddlers during mealtime. The worker was seen reciting passages of Christian faith, which the children were made to repeat. The incident at the government-supported child development center triggered widespread outrage and prompted an official inquiry into the worker’s conduct.

#11 UP School Prayer Assembly Used for Conversion

An English Medium School in Chhatauna, Uttar Pradesh, became the center of controversy on 15 December 2024. The principal and staff were accused of distributing religious texts and encouraging poor families and children to participate in Christian-style prayer sessions aimed at conversion. The prayer session was stopped on the spot, and an FIR was filed against the institution after a memorandum was submitted to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate.

#12 Gujarat School Couple Accused of Forcing Conversion

On 29 November 2024, a viral video from Navsari, Gujarat, showed Kamal Naskar and his wife Sarita, associated with Seventh Day English Medium School, leading children in a Christian prayer. The children were allegedly made to take an oath renouncing Hindu deities and declaring Jesus as the only God. Hindu organizations filed a complaint with the Navsari District Police Chief, demanding an FIR for forced religious conversion.

#13 Betul Coaching Centre Front for Conversion Activities

On 16 September 2024, a coaching centre in Hamalapur, Betul, was exposed as a front for religious conversion. Pastor Rajo Thomas and two women, Jyoti and Pooja Gohe, were accused of brainwashing dozens of minor children and poor tribal community members into accepting Christianity under the promise of a better life. An FIR was registered against the accused under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.

#14 Ratlam School Stormed in Protest Over Conversion Claims

St. Peter’s Higher Secondary Institution in Jaora, Ratlam, was stormed by ABVP members on 27 July 2024, who chanted “Stop Conversions.” They alleged the school was promoting Christian religious propaganda through imagery and teachings. The protesters replaced Christian-themed images with pictures of Bharat Mata and Goddess Saraswati and performed an aarti on the campus in a two-hour-long demonstration.

#15 Damoh School Caught in Foreign-Funded Conversion Scheme

A raid on 18 February 2024, by the MP Child Rights Commission on Good Shepherd Institution in Patharia, Damoh, uncovered a forced conversion scheme. Four Hindu children were recorded as Christians in official documents, and Bibles were seized. Parents reported their children were mocked for their faith and secretly taken to church. The institution was linked to the Operation Mercy India Foundation, which runs 126 centers across India.

#16 Bhopal Shelter Director Arrested in German Funding Probe

The director of a children’s home in Bhopal, Anil Mathew, was arrested on 8 January 2024, after girls reported being forced to immerse Hindu idols, stop worshipping their deities, and adopt Christianity. They were given Christian books, forced into daily prayers, and told facilities were provided by “Lord Jesus.” Police are investigating foreign funding from Germany linked to the institution.

#17 Jhabua Mission School Trained Tribal Girls as Nuns

On 23 July 2023, the MP Child Rights Commission discovered three minor tribal girls at a Jhabua mission school being trained to become nuns in a building called Jyoti Bhavan. The girls were brought from Rajasthan. The commission also found evidence of forced conversion attempts, illegal fee collection, foreign funding, and illegal possession of a firearm. An FIR was recommended.

#18 Chennai School Hostel Accused of Forcing Christianity

On 6 September 2022, an unregistered girls’ hostel at CSI Monahan School in Royapettah, Chennai, was found forcing girls from poor families to follow Christianity during a surprise inspection. Some students also reported abuse by the hostel warden. Police filed an FIR against the hostel management under the Juvenile Justice Act.

#19 TN School Teachers Accused of Pressuring Students to Convert

On 14 June 2022, parents in Keezha Kuthapanchan Village, Tenkasi, refused to send their children to a government-aided school, accusing several teachers of pressuring around 165 students to abandon their religion and caste and embrace Christianity. Over 75 parents staged a sit-in at the Block Education Office, leading the Tamil Nadu Education Department to launch an official probe.

#20 Raisen Hostel Influenced Students for Conversion

A surprise inspection by the NCPCR on 8 November 2021, at the Sisters of Jesus Girls Hostel in Intkheri, Raisen, found that 19 poor students were being influenced for religious conversion. Bibles were found in dormitories, and the hostel was unregistered. The managing Catholic nuns denied wrongdoing, claiming they only supported poor girls and that registration was pending.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Missionary Influence In Classrooms: 20 Shocking Cases of Forced Conversion In Indian Schools And Hostels (2021–2025) appeared first on The Commune.

Police investigations into a Christian missionary hostel in Alwar, Rajasthan, have revealed that a Chennai-based organisation, the Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB), was funding and running systematic religious conversion activities under the guise of education.

The hostel, which housed 50 children from Sikh, Rajput and Scheduled Caste families, was raided on 3 September 2025. Two men, Amrit Singh of Ahmedabad and Sonu Raisikh of Ramgarh, were arrested for orchestrating the operation. Officials found that the children were being indoctrinated to abandon their family faiths and embrace Christianity.

"Only those who worship Jesus will go to heaven; others will burn in hell," missionaries and crypto-converts told students living in a missionary hostel in Alwar, Rajasthan.

A Chennai-based organisation called FMPB was running a hostel named Friends Missionary Fair Band for poor… pic.twitter.com/ON7gNjtMHY

— Subhi Vishwakarma (@subhi_karma) September 5, 2025

Children Taught to Reject Their Faith

Police recovered Bibles, digital material and documents from the premises. Testimonies from children revealed that they were instructed to pray twice daily, chant that “only Jesus is God”, and dismiss their own religious traditions.

One child admitted, “We do not believe in God. Jesus is the only God. We also pray every morning and evening.” Others recounted being told that “only those who worship Jesus will go to heaven, others will burn in hell.”

Investigators also learned that children were taken to a river, where idols were immersed alongside a cross. Afterward, they were told, “Your god just washed away; how will he protect you? Jesus is the only true God.”

Parents and Locals Confirm Indoctrination

Several parents confirmed their children had been placed at the hostel with promises of good education and job opportunities. Many were charged an annual fee of ₹3,000.

Rajendra Singh, a Sikh father, admitted that his son had been at the hostel since 2022 and that he too had abandoned Sikh practices after missionary influence. A neighbour, Pappu, said the hostel had been active for five years and that parents attended weekly “kirtans” at the facility.

Repeat Offender and Wider Network

Police revealed that Amrit Singh had been previously arrested in Sikar in August 2024 for running a similar conversion racket. Despite securing bail, he moved to Alwar and continued operations. Authorities are now examining his bank accounts and funding sources, noting that he was able to send children to expensive schools while claiming to run a hostel for the poor.

The role of FMPB, the Chennai-based missionary body, is central to the case. Investigators confirmed that the Alwar hostel was operated directly under the banner of FMPB. Testimonies from students aged 16–17 stated that the institution’s practices were systematically designed to push them into rejecting their faiths.

FIR and Expanding Probe

An FIR (No. 416/25) has been registered at Udyog Nagar Police Station against Pastor Selvam, a Tamil Nadu native, and 15 others linked to the FMPB network. Two locals have been detained.

SP Sudhir Chaudhary said, “Amrit Singh has been previously involved in a religious conversion case in Sikar. We will now move to get his bail canceled. Strict action will be taken against anyone else found running conversion rackets in the name of education.”

A senior officer has been tasked with leading the probe, which now extends to examining FMPB’s finances, networks across Rajasthan, and possible links to other states.

Denials From Accused

Amrit Singh, himself a Garasiya convert to Christianity, denied the charges during interrogation, claiming: “I am a Hindu myself. I only tell stories from the Bible. Our purpose is to take care of the children.”

Police, however, noted that testimonies and seized material point to a deliberate effort to convert vulnerable children using education as a cover.

(With inputs from Organiser)

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.

The post Chennai-Based Christian Missionary Organization Caught In Rajasthan’s Conversion Racket Targeting Sikh, Rajput And SC Children appeared first on The Commune.

A video of YouTuber and street preacher Nicholas Bowling popped up on social media recently. The said video which is about 11 months old on YouTube is about Bowling’s preaching trip to India which he labelled as “I Spent 7 Days Preaching in One of the Most Persecuted Nations!”

In the video, he chronicles his week spent in India where he is seen preaching and converting people – which is illegal for a foreign national and is blatantly violating visa norms.

Despite India’s strict regulations on religious proselytization, particularly by foreigners on tourist visas, Bowling openly preached in churches, village streets, and private homes, frequently seen encouraging Hindu attendees to convert to Christianity.

Who Is Nicholas Bowling?

Nicholas Bowling states he lived a reckless life filled with alcohol, drugs, and promiscuity. Despite outward appearances, he was depressed, broken, and empty. His turning point reportedly came during a crisis involving a felony charge, a breakup, and his father’s medical emergency. Claiming a radical encounter with God, Bowling abandoned his career path for ministry. His past, by his own admission, was marked by moral failure and self-destructive choices.

Evangelical Activity In Rural Andhra Pradesh

Throughout the 20-minute video, Bowling narrates how he received an invitation from India to minister in the villages of Andhra Pradesh. He opens the video with the claim that he spent “150 hours in one of the most dangerous Nations for Christians around 80% of India’s population are Hindu 14% are Muslim and only 2% are Christians.”

While doing so, he showcases the wrong map of India.

The numbers that he speaks of are from the 2011 national census. Bowling seems to use this wrong fact in his favour, he could have checked the latest data from Joshua Project‘s website which has pretty much recent data.

His first day shows him staying with a family of a pastor Jeevan in Andhra Pradesh. Bowling is seen ministering at a church where this pastor preached. He is also seen praying, preaching, and converting people at many homes in the state.

The next day he is seen going to Bethesda Prayer Hall in Hyderabad to preach at the Sunday morning service. He also proudly claims that “The pastor told me that 90% of the people in their Church were ex- Hindus who converted to Christianity only 10% of the members of their Church were born in Christian families.”

On the third day, he is seen at a church in another village where 14 different pastors came together for the service.

He narrates how “many of them had gone up into unreached Hindu Villages and preached the gospel and several of them had been beaten, stoned, ran out of the villages and even tied up to trees and left; but there were also many other stories good stories of healing Miracles that had taken place and of people who had gotten saved as they went to reach these people. This persecution that they had endured didn’t make them back down even a little bit, but they united together with the goal of reaching 10,000 villages with the gospel.”

He calls Hindus protecting themselves from these missionaries as “persecution”.

He also says, “We headed out to evangelize the village.” – Proof enough that he indulged in preaching.

On Day 4, he is seen going to another village where he is seen singing and ministering at someone’s home and proudly proclaims, “On the fourth day, we had another village Church service, but this time it was at someone’s home. As the service began some of the neighboring Hindus found out that there was an American who was coming, so they ended up coming to the service too, following the message we gave a Salvation call, and then prayed for people to be filled with the Holy Spirit and as the Holy Spirit mightily fell upon the people.”

In the same session, he is seen converting a Hindu couple. He says, “As we ministered and laid hands on each person, a Hindu couple came forward and something amazing happened. Do you accept Jesus, she says yes. Hallelujah.” He then asks them to “put your trust only in Jesus” and the couple say yes. He further says, “He is the only one who can save you, look to no other gods for help, God is a jealous God, there is only one God.”

Then he performs the miracles on a Hindu girl. He sadly said, “We didn’t see her convert to Christianity, but she came specifically for her child to be healed.”

After “healing” the girl, he says, “To me that speaks really loudly that another religion is coming to our God for healing and I believe that God healed that baby and she’s going to give her life to the Lord because of it.”

On the 5th day, he is seen preaching and “casting out demons”.

On the sixth day, he goes to yet another church with Jeevan, visited homes and ministering there, he stated they were mostly Jeevan’s relatives.

He also talks about how he conducted public gospel sessions in Hindu-majority villages and laid hands and prayed over Hindu individuals, declaring miraculous healings and deliverance from spirits. He has also claimed multiple conversions, including of Hindu men, women, and at least one pregnant woman seeking healing for her unborn child.

In one instance, a Hindu couple is shown converting to Christianity on camera, as Bowling declares, “Say you will have visions of Jesus… Look to no other gods for help. God is a jealous God. There is only one God.” In another scene, he says to a Hindu woman, “God will heal your baby to confirm the message of the Gospel… and you need to choose to trust Him alone.”

This kind of activity, recorded and published by Bowling himself, directly contradicts Indian visa stipulations, which prohibit religious preaching or conversion activities by foreign nationals unless they are on specifically designated missionary or religious visas which are almost never granted for public proselytization, particularly in areas sensitive to communal balance.

Under Indian visa regulations, foreign nationals entering India on tourist or business visas are strictly barred from engaging in:

• Missionary activity
• Public preaching
• Conversion efforts
• Organized religious gatherings

Additionally, Section 295A and 153A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) prohibit acts that deliberately or maliciously outraging religious feelings and promoting enmity between groups.

By Bowling’s own admission, he engaged in faith healing, including praying away cancer, grief, and infertility. He also promoted exclusive worship of Jesus while denouncing Hindu practices. He encouraged viewers to “turn away from sin and from other gods,” suggesting Hindu deities are false.

The coordinated nature of these activities, alongside a foreign evangelist, amplifies the seriousness of the alleged violations, implicating both foreign and local actors in religious conversion drives that could disrupt communal harmony.

It is noteworthy that an American preacher David Courney who arrived in Andhra Pradesh, married a local and went on to preach and convert in Manipur, was also seen instigating the Kukis before the riots in 2023.

Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally. 

The post YouTuber & Christian Evangelist Nicholas Bowling Preaches And Converts Hindus In India, Flouting Visa Rules appeared first on The Commune.