India’s Christian minority fears that the central government might be planning to bring their institutions under state control, following a series of recent developments that suggest the administration and its ideological affiliates are preparing to target church-owned properties.
The fear stems from a now-withdrawn article published in Organiser, the official magazine of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh — a Hindu nationalist organization closely tied to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The article claimed the Catholic Church is India’s largest non-governmental landowner, managing more land than the Muslim “Waqf Board.”
In India, a Waqf Board is a statutory authority that manages properties legally designated by Muslims for religious, charitable or educational use. Once a property is declared as waqf, its administration is legally transferred to the board, which oversees its use and ensures it serves community purposes.
The article came earlier this month, just days after the Indian Parliament passed an amendment tightening government control over Waqf properties. The law permits non-Muslim board members for the first time ever, restricts how properties can be donated, and restructures the boards’ legal authority.
Many in India’s Muslim minority community view it as a direct assault on religious autonomy. Now, Christian leaders and political observers worry that the same logic — and legal framework — could be used to justify interference in Christian institutions.
The Organiser article alleged that the Catholic Church owns about 70 million hectares (around 173 million acres) of land in India — far exceeding previous public estimates — and claimed that this land was largely obtained during British rule.
It cited a 1927 British colonial law, the Indian Church Act, as enabling mass land transfers to Christian churches. It also accused Christian schools and hospitals of using free services to pressure the poor into converting to Christianity.
This story was originally published in christianpost.com. Read the full story here.