NEW DELHI — The governor of Uttar Pradesh has directed every public university, medical college, dental college, and higher educational institution in the north Indian state to establish “dharmantaran roktham cells” — conversion-prevention cells — complete with counseling mechanisms, monitoring systems, reporting protocols, and physical surveillance of student hostels.
The directive, reported by International Christian Concern, turns campuses into enforcement zones under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, which classifies forced or fraudulent conversions as non-bailable offenses. Institutions must activate anti-radicalization units, examine complaints, monitor suspicious activities, and submit regular compliance reports to their governing universities. The governor of each Indian state serves as ex officio chancellor of public universities, a role granted by state legislative acts.
Christian leaders said the cells could be “another way of harassing Christian students involved in conducting prayers and meetings on campuses” with the support of para-church organizations working among them. The order follows recent investigations and controversies linked to alleged conversion-related cases in several medical colleges across Uttar Pradesh.
Rights advocates acknowledged that “the stated objective of preventing coercion, fraud, or undue influence in matters of religion may be legitimate,” but one advocate wrote on social media that the cells “could create an atmosphere of suspicion and surveillance that may disproportionately affect religious minorities.” Critics and legal experts cautioned that “overzealous surveillance may infringe upon individual liberties, personal choice, and legitimate social interactions.”
The ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party backs the governor’s directive as a vital safety measure for vulnerable students. The opposition Samajwadi Party has strongly criticized the order, arguing that it “diverts attention from critical educational and infrastructural issues and contributes to communal polarization.” Opponents contend that any policy implemented in educational institutions “must uphold the constitutional values of liberty, equality, secularism, dignity, and religious freedom,” which form part of the basic structure of India’s constitution.
Institutions have already begun forming the cells and hosting awareness campaigns on the legal frameworks governing religious conversion and individual rights. The directive assigns universities quasi-investigative functions — a scope that critics say exceeds the traditional role of educational institutions without clear statutory authority beyond the anti-conversion law.