Kutumba Suraksha Samiti’s Central President, Satya Ranjan Borah, expressed strong concerns over the growing influence of Christian missionaries in the Northeast, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh.

Upendra bharti | HENB | Guwahati | March 20, 2025:: Satya Ranjan Borah, Central President of Assam-based Hindu body Kutumba Suraksha Samiti, has expressed deep concerns over the growing influence of Christian missionaries in the Northeast, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. He claims that this trend threatens India’s sovereignty, secularism, and indigenous traditions. Borah argues that colonial policies and missionary activities have systematically altered the region’s cultural fabric since the British East India Company took control of Assam.

Borah highlights that Christian missionaries strategically used the first Assamese newspaper, Orunudoi, to spread religious beliefs under the guise of journalism. He also notes that the Holy Bible was the first book printed in Assamese, rather than an indigenous literary work. These actions, Borah believes, have led to significant religious conversions, resulting in the fragmentation of the region, with Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Nagaland emerging as Christian-majority states.

The Kutumba Suraksha Samiti has called for strict government intervention, including the withdrawal of Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Scheduled Caste (SC) benefits from individuals who convert to Christianity. Borah emphasizes the need for religious neutrality in missionary-run schools and demands the removal of Christian symbols if these institutions fail to respect this principle.

Silent Christian Conversion of the North East is a major problem for the existence of Hindus in many places across the seven sister states in this region.

Borah’s concerns are not isolated, as there have been reports of similar issues in other parts of the region. For instance, in Assam, a Hindutva group issued ultimatums to Christian-run schools earlier, demanding the removal of Christian symbols and idols. The group, Sanmilita Sanatan Samaj, argued that these symbols were against the alleged transformation of educational institutions into religious institutes.

Christianity has seen significant growth in Northeast India, particularly in states like Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya, where it’s a dominant religion, with a notable increase in Christian populations in several states between 2001 and 2011. 

Christianity is a major religion in parts of Northeast India, especially in Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya.  Nagaland has a high proportion of Christians, with over 87% of the population identifying as Christian.

Mizoram also has a high Christian population, with around 87% of the population being Christian.  Meghalaya has a significant Christian population, with over 70% of the population identifying as Christian.  In Manipur, around 41% of the population is Christian, and in Arunachal Pradesh, about 30% of the population is Christian.

In Assam, Christian population is also growing fast. Christianity is the third largest religion in Assam, the largest  state in the north-eastern region of India. The total population of Christians in the state is 1,165,867, which according to the 2011 census comprises about 3.75% of the state’s total population. After Islam, Christianity is also the second-fastest growing religion of Assam. The largest concentration of Christians in Assam can be found in the Dima Hasao District, where Christians number approximately 30% of the population. The second largest concentration is in the Karbi Anglong district where they form approximately 16.5% of the population.

As the Government of India has suppressed  the publication of Census Report of 2021, the actual increase of Muslims and Christians in the the country during last census is hitherto unknown.  

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__Inputs from Agencies.