India, April 19 -- New Zealand has rejected the asylum bid of an Indian national who claimed that converting from Hinduism to Christianity led to persecution in his home country. New Zealand's Immigration and Protection Tribunal (IPT) dismissed his asylum plea in March 2026, noting that the appellant failed to establish a situation amounting to "being persecuted" in India.

The case centres around a man who was born into a middle-class family in Uttarakhand in 2001. According to a report in The India Weekender, he developed an interest in Christianity while attending a Christian school.

He said that his paternal uncle objected to his interest in Christianity. However, despite the opposition, he continued attending church in India secretl...