Nagaland officials are severely criticising the Narendra Modi government after American evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham was denied an Indian visa. He was meant to arrive in the state for the ‘Nagaland United: A Gathering of Faith, Hope & Revival’ event, which was slated to take place on November 30.
On top of that Graham was also expected to attend the Hornbill Festival as a chief guest on December 1. The said celebration is an annual affair in Nagaland, which seeks to represent the diverse colours and culture of the Northeastern Indian state from December 1 to 10.
US evangelist Franklin Graham’s Nagaland visit cancelled
The late Rev Billy Graham’s son was scheduled to visit the state over 50 years after his father’s visit to Kohima was etched in the North East Indian state capital’s history book as the “Kohima Miracle,” according to the Eastern Mirror Nagaland. The Kohima Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship (KBPF), the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) and the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum (NJCF) had come together to welcome Franklin Graham.
However, the organisers ultimately announced that the Christian evangelist’s Indian trip had been cancelled due to “visa-related circumstances beyond their control,” as also reported by the Nagaland Tribune. Despite Graham’s exclusion, the KBPF confirmed that the event themed as “Nagaland United: A Gathering of Faith, Hope and Revival” would continue as planned.
Who is Franklin Graham?
Perceived as a controversial figure in non-Christian circles, the American Christian evangelist and missionary is the president and CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelist Association and the relief organisation Samaritan’s Purse. According to his biography on the Bill Graham Evangelist Association (BGEA) website, he was born William Franklin Graham III on July 14, 1952, and is the fourth of five children of the renowned evangelist Billy Graham and Ruth Bell Graham.
Rev Franklin Graham was brought up in the Appalachian Mountains outside Asheville, North Carolina. The website notes that he currently lives in Boone, North Carolina. He and his wife, Jane Austin, share four children and 13 grandchildren. He was appointed as BGEA’s CEO in 2000. In 2001, he also became the organisation’s president.
Moreover, he was elected to the board of Samaritan’s Purse in 1978. The following year, he was made the president after organisation founder Dr Bob Pierce’s death.
“Through his work with Samaritan’s Purse, Graham has been instrumental in helping people impacted by major crises for more than 40 years, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, 9/11 terrorist attacks, wars, and natural disasters across the globe ranging from catastrophic hurricanes to devastating wildfires to massive earthquakes,” the BGEA website adds.
“Just being the son of Billy Graham won’t get me into heaven,” he wrote in his autobiography, “Rebel With A Cause.” Having made frequent appearances at Christian revival tours and other such events around the world, Graham first conducted an evangelistic event in 1989. He now helms Crusades, called Festivals, around the world for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
Franklin Graham controversy
The US evangelical preacher has been accused of “hate speech” for remarks about Islam, Hinduism and LBTQ+ people. However, Graham has denied the rhetoric, saying, “If you disagree with them, it’s hate speech. That’s the line,” according to USA Today.
In his decades-old controversial statement, he also added, “I have been very careful to say that I love Muslim people, and I care for them,” suggesting that Islam won’t save one’s soul. The US outlet further quoted him saying, “it can’t keep you from the doors of hell. It won’t open the doors to paradise. I want people to know the truth.”
On the same page, Graham has even insisted that the LGBT community’s “lifestyle” is sin. Despite claiming that he doesn’t wish them ill, he said, “if they don’t repent, God will one day judge them, and they will spend eternity in hell.”
He further asked, “Is that hate speech because you love somebody enough to warn them that they are getting ready to fall off a cliff?”
Similarly taking aim at the multiplicity of Hindu Gods in a 2010 interview with USA Today, he said, “No elephant with 100 arms can do anything for me. None of their 9,000 gods is going to lead me to salvation.”
“We are fooling ourselves if we think we can have some big kumbaya service and all hold hands and it’s all going to get better in this world. It’s not going to get better.”
Nagaland CM speaks out about Rev Franklin Graham’s India visa denial
Just days ahead of the event in Nagaland, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said during an event in Kohima that the Indian government had assured him that Graham’s visa clearance would be processed “by today.” And so, the state CM had positive hopes about the evangelist arriving before the Hornbill Festival.
Rio subsequently took to his official X profile on Sunday, informing the masses about the November 30 event’s success. In a follow-up tweet, he added, “While we are saddened that Rev. Franklin Graham could not join as his travel documents & clearance couldn’t be obtained on time, we warmly welcome Rev. Robert Cunville of @BGEA & his team, who has faithfully carried the Gospel across India bringing hope, healing & transformation.”
While we are saddened that Rev. Franklin Graham could not join as his travel documents & clearance couldn't be obtained on time, we warmly welcome Rev. Robert Cunville of @BGEA & his team, who has faithfully carried the Gospel across India bringing hope, healing & transformation. pic.twitter.com/K2PX2GxgnK
— Neiphiu Rio (@Neiphiu_Rio) November 30, 2025
In light of Graham’s visa denial, the Nagaland chief minister continued to question the Indian Government’s re-imposition of Protected Area Permit (PAP) in the Northeastern Indian states Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland on December 17, 2024.
“I’ve written several times urging for permanent lifting of PAP in Nagaland,” he wrote in a lengthy thread on X. “Foreign dignitaries & delegations face hardships as PAPs are not granted on time, affecting engagements & travel plans.”
The special document in question is needed for foreign nationals to visit certain restricted areas in India, particularly those in Northeastern India due to the exposure to international borders. The Protected Area Regime was introduced under the Foreigners (Protected Areas) Order, 1958, to regulate the movement of foreigners and migrants due to security issues in sensitive areas. As a result, foreigners must have prior approval from the Government of India to visit these areas.
The State Government had made repeated appeals to the Govt of India, seeking relaxation of the PAP regime over the past 12 months. Nagaland’s chief minister’s most recent letter to Home Minister, Amit Shah, regarding this issue was dated November 28, especially with the 26th Hornbill Festival beginning on December 1. These festivities play a significant role in boosting the state economy.
Consequently, the Union government relaxed the protected area regime for the 10-day festival. The latest development was conveyed to the Nagaland Government by the Ministry of Home Affairs through a letter to the Chief of Nagaland on Saturday, as also highlighted in an official press release.
As Graham’s visa-related troubles became a hindrance in his journey to India, the Nagaland CM argued further on his X, saying, “While the temporary relaxation of PAP regime for Hornbill Festival is appreciated, it does not solve the larger issue.”
He added, “I will continue to pursue for complete and permanent lifting of the PAP regime from Nagaland. Our State deserves to be treated differently, based on ground reality.”
Nagaland officials’ appeals to Government of India
The National People’s Party (NPP) even formally took the matter up with the Union Ministry of External Affair, appealing to the government to reconsider the evangelist’s visa denial. Working President James PK Sangma penned a letter to the External Affairs Minister saying that the issue had caused “deep disappointment among thousands of faithful” who had been emotionally invested in and prepared for the November 30 spiritual gathering.
He went on to highlight the years-old relationship between the Indian state and the Graham family, recounting Rev Billy Graham’s Kohima visit in 1972. Sangma suggested that Rev Franklin Graham’s visit would have similarly evoked sentiments of “spiritual renewal and unity” among the Naga people. In his letter, he further insinuated that blocking the Christian evangelist’s visa risked “creating misunderstanding and alienation.”
I have written to the Hon’ble Minister of External Affairs to kindly request the granting of a visa to Rev. Franklin Graham, an internationally renowned Christian evangelist, who is scheduled to visit the Kohima Baptist Pastors’ Fellowship in Nagaland. pic.twitter.com/FjRpWTcNT1
— James K Sangma (@JamesSangma1) November 29, 2025
Like others, he too insisted the Government of India to “kindly review the decision and consider granting permission” for Graham’s visit.
Similarly, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) slammed the Narendra Modi-led Indian government for denying Graham’s visa clearance. It has since slammed the move in a statement issued on Friday, labelling it as “blatant discrimination against the Christian community” and “a direct assault on the freedom of faith that is enshrined in the Indian Constitution,” as per the Nagaland Tribune.
Calling it an “affront to the unique identity and the deeply held Christian faith of the Naga people,” the NPCC argued that the decision reflected “systematic and intolerant policies of the BJP-RSS regime, which seek to suppress and marginalise the Christian community and other religious minorities across the country.”
