A shocking case involving mass conversions of Sikhs to Christianity has come to the fore in Sikh-majority villages, Pilibhit district near the India-Nepal border, Uttar Pradesh.
The All India Sikh Punjabi Welfare Council reported that more than 3,000 Sikhs have converted to Christianity in past few years. According to reports, a substantial number of Sikhs live in the villages within the jurisdiction of the Hazara police station in Pilibhit, including Bailaha, Tatarganj, Bamanpura Bhagirath and Singhara have been converted.
Around 20,000 and 30,000 Sikhs live in these areas. Their livelihoods largely dependent on agriculture and small-scale businesses. Local residents and Sikh organisations have observed an increase in conversion activities in these border areas near Nepal since 2020.
Notably, protestant pastors primarily lead these conversion activities from Nepal and some local individuals designated as pastors. They persuade Sikh families (poor and uneducated) to embrace Christians by luring financially, healing and curing diseases.
Harpal Singh Jaggi, president of All India Sikh Punjabi Welfare Council has addressed the serious issue. In a press conference at the local Gurdwara Shri Singh Sabha, he said that around 3,000 Sikhs have converted in the predominantly Sikh hamlets of Pilibhit. He submitted a list of 160 families who have converted to the district authorities.
Harpal Jaggi further said that some families have had cross marks drawn on their homes. While many have removed these symbols following administrative intervention but they continue to follow Christianity.
The matter came to light when a Sikh lady Manjit Kaur from Bailaha village, filed a complaint at the Hazara police station in Pilibhit on May 13 where she disclosed that her husband had already been lured into Christianity and she and her children are now facing pressure to convert as well. She reported that upon her refusal, her fields were destroyed, and her kids were assaulted.
The FIR was registered against eight named and several unknown accused at the Hazara police station on charges of illegal conversion. DM Sanjay Kumar Singh said: “The SDM of Puranpur is conducting a detailed probe alongside the district police,” Singh said, adding that “allegations of inducements linked to government schemes remain unconfirmed”.
Pilibhit SP Abhishek Yadav confirmed that a recent complaint alleging pressure to convert is under investigation. Harpal Singh Jaggi, state president of All India Sikh Punjabi Welfare Council and acting president of Lucknow Gurdwara Management Committee, alleged that Nepali pastors have been actively facilitating conversions in border villages such as Bailha, Tatarganj, and Bamanpur Bhagirath since 2020.
Local Sikh leaders claim that poverty and lack of education are the key reasons behind this. The victims, who have not received the promised benefits, are demanding action against the accused, but no arrests have been made so far.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the matter and has given instructions to authorities to increase vigilance in all border districts. The strict action under the “Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act” which prohibits conversion through force or inducement will be taken by the Yogi Government.
Sikh organisations have also sought stringent actions against the Christian missionaries.
Christianity and conversion in Punjab
In Punjab, conversions are taking place through various means, including monetary benefits, false promises of miracles, and the lure of visas to countries like Canada, the USA, the UK, and Australia. All of this appears to be part of a systematic plan to alter the state’s demography. As a result, Punjab is gradually inching toward becoming a Christian-majority state.
According to the 2011 Census, Christians constituted merely 1.3 per cent of Punjab’s population. However, some media reports and self-declared surveys by missionary groups suggest that this figure has now risen to 15 per cent. Religious institutions like the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sikh leaders have largely failed to address this issue effectively.
Christians are now settled across Punjab but are more concentrated in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, and Ferozepur districts. These districts are now referred to as the “Church Belt” by some locals. Thousands of new churches and missionary centers have been built in these districts, with entire villages in Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur reportedly converting to Christianity. It is believed that almost all villages have one or two converted Christian families in Punjab. Over 65,000 missionaries are active in the state. For example, Jalandhar alone is home to over 1,500 churches.
Thanks to pastors like Raju Rangila, Bajinder Singh, Ankur Narula, and others, who have converted a significant number of Dalits from both the Hindu and Sikh communities to Christianity. The rise of self-styled pastors and “Apostles” leading Christian Chanagi Sabhas is another concerning trend. These fraudulent pastors use dubious techniques, such as staged miracles, promises of cures from illness, bringing back the dead, resolving financial issues, and freeing from drug addiction, to attract innocent people primarily Dalits, Valmiki Hindus, and Mazhabi Sikhs and mislead them into conversion. The pastors and Church leaders have also composed songs praising Jesus on lines of Sikh kirtan.
Punjabi youth, eager to go abroad, are the first targets to these conversions. Missionaries promise them an easier path to obtaining visas if they embrace Christianity.
Another significant factor driving conversions is the social and political neglect of Mazhabi Sikhs, Dalits, and marginalised communities. Despite Sikhism’s foundational principles of equality and justice, caste discrimination persists. Upper-caste Sikhs often shun Dalit Sikhs and treat them as second-class citizens, driving them toward Christian missionaries who promise them dignity and acceptance. However, even there, they often face insult and discrimination.
Another factor is the influence of wokeism. Punjab is increasingly embracing wokeism and westernisation, leading to a gradual erosion of its rich ‘desi’ culture, traditional values, and spiritual heritage that once defined its identity.
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