From Changur and Abdul to Maharashtra, Kerala... many conversion rackets have come to light, know what is the law where?

Whether it is the cases of alleged 'Love Jihad' in the Kerala module, the famous Kandhamal case of Odisha, or the cases of religious conversion by missionaries through inducements in the tribal areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh... thousands of victims came forward, hundreds of arrests were made and many states also enacted laws.

 

• The conversion racket of Changur gang in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh and Abdul Rehman in Agra has been exposed.
• There was a lot of uproar in Kerala on the issue of alleged love jihad and religious conversion. The matter even reached the Kerala High Court and the Supreme Court.
• Many states in the country have made laws against forced religious conversion, and preparations are being made to make laws in many other states.

 

New Delhi:

After the arrest of Jamaluddin alias Changur, who made conversion a business in Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, continuous revelations were being made, meanwhile, the revelation of the conversion racket of mastermind Abdul Rehman in Agra has shocked everyone. In the last few years, many such modules of conversion have come to light in the country, which have not only exposed the rackets of organized syndicates, but have also exposed the international connections and foreign funding hidden behind them.

Whether it is the alleged cases of 'Love Jihad' in the Kerala module, the famous Kandhamal case of Odisha, or the cases of religious conversion by missionaries in the tribal areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh by luring people... thousands of victims came forward, hundreds of arrests were made, and many states also made laws. Let us know where in the country cases of religious conversion have come to light and what are the laws regarding this in which states. 

 

 

 

 

 

Chhangur gang: Biggest syndicate, foreign funding 

Jamaluddin alias Changur's gang, which originated in Balrampur district of UP and spread to Ayodhya, Mirzapur and many other districts, is no less than a film story. According to the police and ATS, Changur (Jamaluddin) used his tricks to mentally influence young men and girls and convert them. It is alleged that not only conversions but cases of sexual exploitation of women also came to light and a network of black money worth crores. The investigation revealed solid evidence of foreign funding of Rs 500 crore, Pakistani and Turkish handlers, honeytrap and love jihad. Changur has also been accused of anti-national conspiracies. Many henchmen of the gang are being caught continuously.  

 

Agra: Social racket, linked to ISIS! 

Abdul Rehman, the mastermind of the cyber conversion racket that came to light recently in Agra, was running the racket through WhatsApp and Signal groups connected to Pakistan. In the conversion case of two real sisters in Agra, the police arrested 11 people including the mastermind of the gang, Abdul Rehman. The girls were trapped through social media and mentally influenced through religious scriptures and videos. According to a victim, she was forced to marry and convert to Islam. Agra Police and ATS interrogated them separately in closed rooms. The truth that the conversion gang confessed in front of the police is even more terrifying.

 

Cases have also been reported from other districts of UP

In Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur, Pratapgarh and Mirzapur districts, big cases of illegal conversion have also come to light in the past months. 26 people including missionary operators were arrested in Fatehpur. During the police investigation, it was also revealed that churches and missionaries were secretly converting people in many districts.

Cases of conversion and 'love jihad' in Kerala

Kerala has been a major center of conversion controversies and allegations of 'love jihad'. Many high-profile cases have come to light here, although many times it was found to be weak on the basis of facts and legal investigation. According to the Supreme Court Observer, the most talked about case from April 2016 till now was the 'Hadiya case', in which a Hindu girl Akhila (Hadiya) had converted to Islam of her own free will and married Shafin Jahan. Later, the Kerala High Court annulled this marriage and called it a forced conversion and got it investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Giving its verdict in March 2018, the Supreme Court described Hadiya's marriage and conversion as completely her personal freedom and the right to religious freedom given under the Constitution. After this, the NIA investigated 11 inter-religious marriages in the state, although no evidence of conspiracy, spread theory or forced conversion was found in any case.

 

Earlier in 2009, the Kerala High Court had said citing a police report that in about three to four thousand cases, conversions took place on the pretext of 'love marriage', but in 2012 the police refuted the theory and conspiracy of 'love jihad'. The Kerala government did not advocate any strict law regarding conversion in 2023-24. The Kerala High Court clarified in 2024 that under Article 25 of the Constitution, every citizen has complete freedom to change religion without pressure or fraud and it will be recognized in government documents. 

A film named Kerala Files was also made on the issue of 'conversion in Kerala'.

 

Odisha: The famous Kandhamal and the first law 

Odisha is the first state in the country to have made the 'Odisha Religious Freedom Act' in 1967. Under this, religious conversion without written permission from the administration is illegal, and there is also a provision of two years imprisonment and fine for converting someone forcibly, by greed or by deception. The Kandhamal district here is famous all over the country, where communal violence broke out in 2008. Cases of conversion of Dalit and tribal sections of the society through missionaries have come to light here. However, statistics show that many cases do not reach the police or administration, but keep happening at a secret level. According to the statistics of the administration, only two people officially changed their religion in five years. 

Madhya Pradesh: Allurement, religious conversion, law... 

Conversion gangs have been caught in cities like Neemuch, Khandwa and Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. The role of missionaries has repeatedly come under suspicion. Many times big cases of 'love jihad' and conversion in the name of marriage, Christianization in tribal society, kidnapping of children and conversion through mental pressure have come to light. Here strict laws are in place to prevent conversions being done by force, temptation or deception. In the year 1968, the 'Madhya Pradesh Religious Freedom Act' was one of the first laws implemented in the country. It has been amended from time to time.

 

In 2006, a provision was made that any person will inform the administration in writing one month before changing his religion, otherwise there is a provision of severe punishment and fine. In 2021-22, new amendments were brought and a provision of up to 10 years of punishment was made for conversion by force, deception or greed. In 2025, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced that if the culprit forcibly converts and misbehaves with the person, he can be punished with death. The government policy here is very strict and special teams keep an eye on such cases.

Maharashtra: Considering bringing a strict law 

In Maharashtra, there have been allegations of large-scale conversions through churches and missionaries in tribal districts like Nandurbar, Palghar, Dindori, Amravati. There have been constant reports of conversions on the pretext of foreign funding, service in local missionary schools or hospitals, which Hindu organizations have been strongly opposing. The state government said in Parliament last year that it is considering bringing a strict law. The state government is preparing a draft of the law so that the culprits can be prosecuted. 

Gujarat: Punishment for forced conversion of religion 

Cases of conversion have come to light in cities like Junagadh, Ahmedabad, Godhra, Memnagar in Gujarat. In the year 2022, the state government had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, calling forced conversion a big threat to the sovereignty of the country and the religious freedom of common citizens. There is a strict law against conversion here, according to which, if a person wants to convert from Hinduism to Buddhism or any other religion, he will have to take permission from the District Magistrate. Heavy punishment and fine is fixed for converting religion by force, deception or greed. There has been a lot of politics and agitation in the state on this issue. Big rackets have been exposed again and again. As per the rules, conversion without administrative approval is illegal, the police immediately register an FIR against the accused.

Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh: Tribals on target  

The tribal areas of Bastar and Surguja in Chhattisgarh have been the most controversial for conversions. In the last five years, 23 legal cases have been registered here. Here, there have been allegations of large-scale conversions of people to Christianity by luring them through 'local missionaries'. Here too, the state government is preparing to bring a strict bill so that strict action can be taken against forced religious conversions.

On the other hand, the issue of religious conversion in tribal-dominated areas of Jharkhand has been in the headlines. The High Court had recently sought answers from the state government and the central government regarding tribal religious conversion. The court had said that religious conversions are being done in the name of 'healing meetings' in tribal areas, due to which their population is decreasing. Many organizations claim that religious conversions have increased rapidly in tribal-dominated areas.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

In Himachal Pradesh, in the past years, many organizations have been accused of converting people by luring them in hilly villages. In such a situation, the anti-conversion law was made more stringent in 2022. Now those guilty of forced conversion can be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years. Administrative officials also believe that this was a necessary step to protect the social fabric in the mountains. At the same time, there has been an increase in cases of forced conversion in Uttarakhand. By the year 2020-22, 11 such cases were reported, while between 2023 and July 2025, these figures increased to 42. Here in 2018, the state government implemented a strict 'anti-conversion law', and in 2022, it was further amended to provide for a sentence of up to 10 years.

Karnataka: Cases surfaced in many cities 

Conversion controversies have surfaced many times in the name of religious preaching in cities like Belgaum, Bengaluru and Mangalore in Karnataka. A famous case came in 2025 in which an FIR was registered against three Muslim youths, but the High Court quashed the case due to lack of evidence. Strict anti-conversion laws have been in force here since 2022, under which converting religion by false promises, marriage, greed or compulsion is completely prohibited.  

Haryana: Government preparing for strict law 

In Haryana, many cases of forced conversion have come to light in Palwal, Nuh and Faridabad districts. Cases of conversion on the pretext of 'love jihad', conversion in the name of marriage, conversion by luring people in old churches have come to light. Here the state government announced in 2022 that it will soon bring a new law to stop forced conversion. 

Andhra Pradesh: Tribals and Dalits are the target 

In Andhra Pradesh, news of conversion of tribal and Dalit community especially from coastal districts comes out from time to time. Disputes have come up in districts like West Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Kadapa. Here also a law to ban conversion has been discussed, but no law has been made till now.