Christian Orgs Condemn Shah’s Anti-Conversion Remark; ‘India an Electoral Autocracy’

March

2026

Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led union government, accusing it of providing special treatment to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in Sabarmati Jail, Gujarat, while shielding him from Panjab police’s custody. Also countering union Home Minister Amit Shah 's recent pitch for an anti-conversion law in the state, Mann asserted that the ‘religious card’ would never work in Panjab and accused the saffron party of attempting to incite communal friction. Additionally, the Panjab Christian Movement and Christian Awareness Leadership also condemned Shah’s statement. The groups also appealed to members of the Christian community across Panjab to ensure the saffron party's defeat in the 2027 elections. Meanwhile, student leader Jashanpreet Singh Jawanda was shot at in Panjab University’s premises in Chandigarh on 17 Mar. The incident was reported near the Department of Botany during the annual students festival—Jhankaar. The incident has raised fresh concerns over security on the campus. A social media post, allegedly linked to the Davinder Bambiha, Gopi Ghanshampuria, and Kaushal Chaudhary group, claimed responsibility for the firing. The post named Balwinder Singh alias Doni Bal and Shaganpreet as attackers. According to police, four suspects arrived on a stolen scooter and allegedly fired two rounds in an attempt to target Jawanda, who is associated with a student union. The attack is also reminiscent of the fatal stabbing of another student during the annual festival in 2025 after which a ban was imposed on the Star Nights event. However, despite the ban, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of BJP, announced a line up of singers for the event in 2026, which concluded on 18 Mar but was later cancelled. Simultaneously, a democracy report by the V-Dem Institute of the University of Gothenburg, Sweden states that autocracies outnumber democracies in the world today with 74% of the world population now living in autocracies. The report adds that India is among the most populous electoral autocracies in the world, a zone it entered in 2017. Out of 179 countries, India ranks 105 on the liberal democracy index in 2026 as opposed to 100 in 2025 (earlier coverage).