For Panjab’s 'Dalits,' Conversion Isn’t About Identity Alone

April

2026

The recent Supreme Court of India ruling that converting to a religion other than Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism would be seen as losing Scheduled Caste (SC) status, has touched a sensitive spot across the country, but especially among the Dalits (marginal caste) of Panjab. Panjab has the highest proportion of SCs—nearly one-third (31.9% as per Census 2011) of the population. Around 1.5% of Panjab’s population is Christian and there has been a resurgence within the community with independent ministries and churches coming up in villages, towns, and cities in the Majha (north) and Doaba (central) regions. The Dalit Christians mostly live in the Doaba region, a belt with over 32% of the Panjabi Dalit population across faiths. Conversely, the Majha belt has a sizable population of the Valmiki community and Mazhabi Sikhs who too have a significant number of followers from the Christian faith. On 14 Mar, union Home Minister Amit Shah, during a badlav (change) rally at Moga, said the Bharatiya Janata Party would ban religious conversion in Panjab through a new law. Christian organizations in Panjab called Shah’s proposal politically motivated, warning that treating conversion as a threat risked stigmatizing marginal communities while drawing attention away from caste inequality and rural distress. Many Dalits in Panjab who have embraced Christianity are not changing their names or religion in official records so they continue getting reservation benefits in jobs and education. For the Dalits, Christianity offers dignity, community support, and an escape from entrenched caste hierarchies. The loss of reservation benefits acts as a strong deterrent against formalizing this shift. Additionally, independent ministries represent a relatively newer, popular face of Christianity in Panjab, not like the traditional Roman Catholic Church. These churches are independent entities influenced by the Pentecostal movement that places more emphasis on a ‘direct encounter with God’, rather than any structured, organized conversion. Sermons are delivered in Panjabi and Hindi, hymns resemble bhajans (Hindu devotional songs) and community meals are in line with the langar tradition and continue to wear turbans like Sikhs. The political debate over conversion gets complicated by this unique, fluid nature of faith practiced by these ministries and the laity (earlier coverage).