The college founded by William Carey comes under the pressure facing Christian schools.

According to a report by International Christian Concern (ICC) published on September 22, 2026, Christian educational institutions in West Bengal are under growing pressure — among them Serampore College, a Protestant institution founded in 1818, and St. Xavier's College in Kolkata. ICC describes the trend as a "systematic dismantling" of intellectual strongholds linked to minorities.

How the pressure shows up

• Surprise inspections by state officials and intimidating official visits.
• Cancelled FCRA accounts over the past three years — the license that allows receiving foreign donations — crippling the institutions' finances.
• Online campaigns: a YouTube channel spreads unverified conversion allegations, and extremist rhetoric is amplified on social media.

The change in climate coincides with the new BJP state government that took office in May 2026, led by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. "Threats to Christian religious freedom hit missionaries and church workers first; now they have reached Christian educational institutions," a Serampore theology faculty member, who asked not to be named, told ICC.

Why Serampore matters

Serampore College was founded by William Carey and his colleagues Joshua Marshman and William Ward on the banks of the Hooghly river, and it remains India's main institution authorized to grant theological degrees. More than 40 theological colleges and seminaries across the country depend on it for accredited degrees.

That is why a threat to Serampore is not one school's problem: it affects pastoral training across the whole country — in a nation where, in some regions, more than 90% of church leaders have never had access to a seminary.

Background: FCRA: the law that decides who may receive foreign donations