India Moves to Seize Church Properties as 20,000 Christian Organizations Lose Foreign Funding Licenses

India's New FCRA Amendment Could Allow Government to Seize Church Buildings and Christian Properties

India's ruling BJP government has approved a sweeping amendment to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) that would grant authorities the power to confiscate properties belonging to Christian organizations whose foreign funding licenses have been revoked or allowed to lapse.

The Foreign Contribution Regulation Amendment Bill, approved by the federal cabinet in March 2026, would establish a Designated Authority with the power to take provisional control of assets built using foreign contributions, even properties only partially funded through international donations.

Joseph D'Souza, head of the All India Christian Council, called the proposed changes:

"Dangerous and deeply alarming" with the potential for "irreversible consequences."

Since the BJP came to power in 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, over 20,000 FCRA licenses have been revoked or allowed to expire. Reports indicate that more than 70% of the affected NGOs were aligned with Christian programs. Major organizations including World Vision India, the Church's Auxiliary for Social Action, and the Evangelical Fellowship of India have already had their FCRA registrations cancelled.

Religious freedom advocates warn that Hindu nationalist groups will exploit this law to seize Christian properties serving marginalized communities, particularly Dalit populations. The properties at risk include hospitals, schools, and community service centers built over decades with charitable contributions from believers across Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Australia, and other nations.

How India's Foreign Funding Law Threatens Christian Missions and Church Assets Across the Nation

Paul Robinson, CEO of Release International, linked the amendment to existing anti conversion statutes that disproportionately target Christian and minority religious communities. These laws, officially framed as measures to prevent forced conversions, have been used to harass pastors, shut down prayer meetings, and criminalize ordinary acts of faith.

Parliamentary debate on the amendment has been postponed until the June to August 2026 session, giving Indian Christians and international advocacy groups a narrow window to push back against what many see as the most aggressive legislative attack on Christian institutions in India's modern history.

India currently ranks 12th on the Open Doors World Watch List, which tracks persecution of Christians worldwide.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be clear about what this is: state sponsored theft dressed up in legal language. The Indian government watched Christians build hospitals for the poor, schools for Dalit children, and shelters for the abandoned, and now they want to confiscate every brick. Twenty thousand organizations stripped of their licenses and 70% of them Christian. That is not a coincidence. That is a coordinated campaign. Imagine if a Western nation seized every mosque built with foreign donations. The United Nations would convene an emergency session before sundown. But when it is churches in India? Silence. Our brothers and sisters built those institutions with their own hands and the generosity of believers around the world. We will not be silent while a government steals what God's people built for the least of these.

Take Action

• Contact the Indian Embassy in your country and urge them to withdraw the FCRA Amendment Bill. Find your local embassy at mea.gov.in
• Support persecuted Christians in India through The Shepherd's Shield, which provides direct aid to believers facing government oppression
• Give to Open Doors USA to support their advocacy work for Indian Christians and their families
• Donate to Release International, which is directly engaged in opposing the FCRA amendment and supporting affected churches
• Pray for Indian Christians facing this unprecedented legal assault on their institutions. Share this article with your congregation and small group to raise awareness
• Write to your elected officials asking them to raise India's persecution of Christians in bilateral diplomatic discussions