Why Are People Converting to Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh? | Documentary

Can an anti-conversion law protect indigenous culture, or does it threaten religious freedom? In this documentary, Newsreel Asia producer Harshita Rathore travels to Arunachal Pradesh to understand the decades-long debate surrounding the Arunachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act (AFRA), 1978. Through conversations with leaders from the Christian community and the Donyi Polo movement, she explores why the law was introduced, why it remained dormant for 46 years, and why its revival has sparked fresh protests after the Gauhati High Court's 2024 directive. The documentary also examines the history of religious conversion in Arunachal Pradesh, the revival of indigenous faiths like Donyi Polo, and the larger question of whether faith can ever be regulated by law. This documentary presents perspectives from both sides of the debate-Christians vs Donyi Polo, tribal identity vs religious freedom. We discuss allegations of conversion through force, fraud, or inducement, the concerns of indigenous communities about preserving their traditions, the role of organizations like the RSS, and why many tribal families chose Christianity. Watch more stories from Arunachal here : https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaUVKhGRwO-yOCmJX8I_nQ5cuCN1fFMZh&si=w5JoLUMh_4fKVmF 00:00 - Introduction 02:25 - Debate over the Anti- Conversion Law 4:32 - Emergence of Christianity 5:54 - APFRA 8:00 - Allegations of using Fraudulent Means 10:09 - Fraudulent Means not Defined 12:30 - Historical overview 15:12 - Revival of Donyi-Polo movement 17:42 - Donyi-Polo and similarities with Hinduism 21:08 - RSS’ Role in Donyi-Polo movement 22:50 - Both Communities Living Together 26:04 - Reasons for Religious Conversion 30:34 - Indigenous organisations demanding for the Law 32:35 - Revival and Healing Programme 34:32 - Conversion is a Change of Heart 37:41 - Christians moving away from tribal traditions? 41:26 - Can faith be regulated?