The Indian government is facing scrutiny after denying a visa to American evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham, forcing him to cancel his scheduled Nov. 30 visit to Nagaland.
As UCA News Agency reported, Graham had been invited to Kohima, the state capital, for “Nagaland United: A Gathering of Faith, Hope and Revival,” a major Christian gathering organized by the Kohima Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship (KBPF). Though the event went ahead, the absence of its principal guest cast a long shadow over the celebrations.
The KBPF announced Nov. 29 that Graham could not attend due to “unforeseen visa-related circumstances,” language that concealed the frustration felt across Nagaland’s Christian community.
According to UCA News, S. N. Among Jamir, the Fellowship’s secretary, emphasized that the gathering was meant to unite believers across tribes, denominations, and social divides. Instead, it became an uncomfortable reminder of what many see as the Indian government’s increasingly heavy-handed approach to Christian visitors and ministries.
New Delhi offered no explanation for the visa denial, but observers inside and outside India believe the refusal is linked to the longstanding suspicion with which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), view Graham’s humanitarian and evangelistic work.
His organization, Samaritan’s Purse, has frequently been accused by Hindu nationalist groups of participating in religious conversions, allegations that are routinely leveled against Christians in India regardless of evidence.
UCA News reported that the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum (NJCF), the National People’s Party (NPP), the Chakhesang Public Organisation (CPO), and the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC), among others, condemned the government’s decision. NJCF leaders Rev. Neikedozo Paphino and Rev. Moses Murry said the news left them deeply troubled and unable to understand what justified the denial.
Father Jacob Charalel, chancellor of the Kohima diocese, told UCA News that the federal government had shown a clear bias against Christians in recent years. He called the decision to bar Graham “unjustified,” especially in a Christian-majority state like Nagaland, where “there is no chance of conversion.”
Over 87% of the 2.2 million residents of Nagaland are Christian, mostly Baptist. Graham is seen there not as a threat but as a respected figure whose presence would have been welcomed with enthusiasm.
Graham, internationally known through the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse, is no stranger to controversy in India. His global evangelistic work and humanitarian missions attract large crowds — and equally large backlash from hardline nationalist groups.
In its Nov. 28 statement, the NPCC called the visa refusal “discriminatory” and “an insult to the Christian community in Nagaland.” They argued that it evidenced the BJP-RSS coalition’s “systematic and intolerant policies,” and accused the ruling establishment of trying to intimidate religious minorities under the guise of immigration procedures.
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