Helpline records of United Christian Forum (UCF) reported 17 incidents of violence against Christians in the country within the first 19 days of the New Year 2020. UCF is a national organization that documents cases of violence against churches and Christians in India and upholds fundamental freedoms and promotes values of justice, equality, liberty and fraternity. The incidents recorded at UCF's helpline number showed nine states with Uttar Pradesh leading the list with six incidents of violence against Christian minorities. A. C. Michael, convener of the UCF, lamented that "Year 2020 has begun well for those who like to harass the Christian community." Michael, a Christian leader, told Matters India that among many incidents that took place, five were due to the complicity of the authorities who also restricted 10 religious activities. Most of them were mob threats and in one of the cases a Church property was severely damaged. Including women and children, 69 people were affected in these incidents of violence because of their faith.

Number of protests against CAA-NRC in various parts of country is increasing, not decreasing. Contrary to claims being made by top BJP leaders in public rallies and media statements The number of protests against CAA-NRC in various parts of the country is increasing, not decreasing.  Contrary to claims being made by top BJP leaders in public rallies and media statements, the countrywide movement against the Citizenship Amendment Law and the National Register of Citizens is gathering strength with each passing week. Less than two weeks ago, on January 10, a fact checking site monitored 261 CAA-related protests across 24 States of which 230 were against the law and only 31 were in favour. The latest data compiled by the same agency on January 23 shows that the total number of protests has risen to 374, of which 322 are anti-CAA-NRC and 52 are pro. What is interesting about the database is that an interactive web page has been put up to regularly update the statistics based on news reports, social media posts and verification by local police stations.  Although it is a private initiative, it provides a useful overview of the geographical spread of protests across the map of India as well as

The victims contested the rebirth of a movement that defended the tribal land, even with violence. Some media reports that those killed are Christians; the local Church does not confirm. The "inexplicable" violence between two factions both fighting for survival.  Seven tribals have been kidnapped and beheaded by a group of supporters of the "Pathalgadi movement", who in Jharkhand are fighting for land tenure. Their bodies were abandoned in the Saranda forest, West Singhbhum district, and found by the police on January 20. Speaking to AsiaNews, Msgr. Felix Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, confirms the news of the murders, but not reports according to which the dead are Christian Murmu, as reported by some newspapers. "We are not sure, we are investigating". “Whether they are Christian or not - he highlights – this is a serious and inexplicable fact. We are deeply saddened. " Despite the mutilated bodies, the inhabitants recognized the victims. They are: James Buda, Songe Topna, Lomba Buda, Etva Buda, Jawra Buda, Nirmal Buda and Bonam Longa. The tribals were 24 to 35 years old. Mr. Buda was a representative of the local panchayat, i.e. the village council. The corpses are currently at the Sadar Hospital in Chaibasa for autopsy investigations. The violence

Before Pastor Jai Singh appeared before a judge in northern India and was jailed on false charges of luring people to convert, Hindu extremists had dragged him from house worship to a school where groups of six beat him in turns, he said. “From the school, they took me to a Hindu temple and forced me to sit before the idols,” Singh said. “They told me that they ‘are policemen, we can make you admit whatever we want.’ They had beaten up my legs with wooden sticks and pulled my legs apart.” He was wearing a long, white tunic called a Kameez that was soaked in blood from the beatings on Jan. 5 in Bichpari village, Sonipat District, about an hour north of Delhi. “They forcefully undressed me and threw my Kameez away,” Pastor Singh told Morning Star News. “It was evening by the time they dropped me at Gohana police station. I was severely bruised and was howling in pain.” The radical Hindus had assaulted him and other house-church worshippers after an attempt to attack their mother church in nearby Siwanka over Christmas was thwarted, sources said. The pastor, who struggles to provide for his family as a day-laborer, is still unable to walk due to the

Religious schools enjoy administrative autonomy under the Indian Constitution. However, the Supreme Court now opens them up to state interference. “Minority institutions must respect minimum criteria for the admission of students as well as the recruitment of teachers, like any other institution,” Kolkata teacher noted. Indian Catholics are against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the government to appoint teachers in religious minority schools. “Article 30 of the Indian Constitution gives religious minorities the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions,” said Fr Felix Raj, vice rector of St Xavier's University in Kolkata, speaking to AsiaNews. The ruling came on 6 January and refers to the West Bengal Madrasa Service Commission Act of 2008. The court upheld a law that allows the federal government to screen teachers in state-aided madrassas (Islamic schools). The same principle can be applied to Christian schools, which run in the thousands. Under the Indian Constitution, minorities have the right to full school autonomy, including the right to choose their teachers based on their own notions of social progress. Fr Raj has an extensive experience in education, and was honoured with the Xavier Ratna Award from the Xavier Institute of Engineering, Mumbai, for his contribution to higher education and for making

A protester holds a placard during a rally by hundreds of Christians against recent attacks on churches nationwide, in Mumbai, February 9, 2015. Five churches in the Indian capital New Delhi have reported incidents of arson, vandalism and burglary. The latest was reported last week when an individual stole ceremonial items. (Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui) A Hindu group that claims to have reconverted 144 members of a tribal Christian community in Dang district in Gujarat was highly criticized by church leaders and activists in the country. Several years ago, as many as 144 tribal members accepted Christ and embraced Christianity as their new faith. But according to a religious leader from the region, the 144 were reconverted to Hinduism in Waghai taluka's Bhogadiya village. In an event organized by the Gujarat unit of Agniveer on January 24, Neha Patel, state president of Agniveer, told media that "We came to know that many tribals were converted to Christianity many years ago and many of them expressed interest to convert back to Hinduism, so we organized this program." According to Patel, of the 144 people who converted to Hinduism, 60 were from Bhogadiya village and the rest from neighboring villages. "We have not forced anybody to change their religion.

 From 2016 to 2019, Indian Christians have faced 1,774 cases of hate crimes across 25 states and 3 Union Territories, says Persecution Relief report. In other words, India witnessed 59.6 percent rise in hate crimes against Christians during the same period, says Persecution Relief’s much-awaited “Annual Report-2019. Persecution Relief is an ecumenical forum that records Christian persecution in India. In 2019 alone, the forum documented 527 cases compared to 447 cases in 2018, 440 in 2017 and 330 in 2016. It was a drastic leap of 179.4 percent. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, emerged as the most hostile place for Christians for three consecutive years. Tamil Nadu continues at the second spot with 75 cases, followed by Karnataka, 32 cases, Maharashtra 4 with 31 cases and Bihar with 30 cases at number 5. What stands out among the hate crimes in India is that four Christians were murdered in 2019. In the same year, the forum recorded 199 incidents related to threats, intimidation and harassment against Christians, 104 attacks on churches, 85 incidents of physical violence, 100s of house churches forcefully closed by religious fanatics and the local administration in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The anti-conversion law was introduced in two states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata

Pastors and faithful arrested in Uttar Pradesh;  in Haryana a pastor beaten in turn by six people.  Christian leader complains of constant harassment of the "tiny Christian community": "Far-right radicals create public order problems, but then Christians are arrested." Pastors and faithful arrested on charges of forced conversions to Christianity;  a pastor surrounded by 250 Hindu radicals, beaten and detained in prison on the same charge.  These episodes have been taking place in northern India since the beginning of the new year,  confirming the climate of intolerance present in the country.  Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), condemns this "harassment of Christians" to AsiaNews. Yesterday two pastors arrested on 25th November in Uttar Pradesh were released on bail on charges of conversions extracted by force;  today another Christian should be freed.  The three men are: Rev. Om Prakash, 23, Rev.  Ajay Kumar, 20, and Kapil Dev Ram.  The arrest occurred following the assault on Mr. Ram's home, where a prayer rally was held. The neighbors broke into the room and would have beaten the two pastors if the landlord and his son had not intervened to defend them.  Later the Christians were denounced with various accusations: alleged promotion of discord between religious

If RSS is serious about appropriating Gandhi, it must embrace what he said: “Free India will be no Hindu Raj…it will be Indian Raj based not on the majority of any religious sect or community…” A recent editorial in the Organiser, the official organ of the RSS, in the guise of questioning the right of the Congress to lay claim to the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, staked the Sangh Parivar’s claim to be the true inheritor of the legacy. As if this was not audacious enough, the editorial is followed and buttressed by an essay which is by way of a tribute to the Mahatma by Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief. An innocent reader would indeed be impressed by the devotion expressed to Gandhiji and his values. But the innocent reader could still ask why the BJP-RSS establishment has taken no action to expel Sadhvi Pragya, who remains a BJP MP after publicly praising Gandhiji’s assassin, Nathuram Godse. Has the RSS-BJP become so democratic or even anarchic, that the RSS chief and the Prime Minister write paeans of praise to the Mahatma, but are not willing to sacrifice a single MP for publicly defying their public stand and cross the Lakshman Rekha? Can you

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday compared Mahatma Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying both believed in the same ideology Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday compared Mahatma Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying both believed in the same ideology. Rahul Gandhi, at an anti-CAA rally, launched a scathing attack on Modi and said he was making Indians to prove that they are Indians. Addressing participants at "Save the Constitution" march at Kalpetta in Wayanad, his Lok Sabha constituency on Martyr's Day, Gandhi said there was no difference between Godse and Modi. "Today, an ignorant man is trying to challenge Gandhi's ideology. He is creating an atmosphere of hatred. The ideology is same. Nathuram Godse and Narendra Modi, they believe in the same ideology. There is no difference except that Modi does not have the guts to say he believes in the ideology of Godse," the Wayanad MP said. Attacking the Prime Minister on the new Citizenship Law, Gandhi questioned Modi and asked who was he to ask Indians to prove that they were Indians. "Indians are being made to prove that they are Indians. Who is Narendra Modi to decide who is an Indian. Who gave Modi