While urging the President of India Droupadi Murmu to rebuild the places of worship that had been demolished during the ethnic clashes between Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities, All Manipur Christian Organization (AMCO) alleged that the displaced Meitei Christians are not allowed to exercise their faith, which is their fundamental right according to the Constitution of India. The AMCO is the apex Christian body in Manipur submitted a memorandum to President Murmu on June 26. Since the beginning of May 3, 2023, more than 300 people have lost their lives in Manipur, most of these victims are Christians from the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities. More than 20 thousand from these communities have fled from the violence for shelter in other parts of the state or country. Presently, Manipur stands divided into segregated districts that are completely Meitei-inhabited or completely Kuki- Zo. Now it is impossible to cross from a Kuki area to a Meitei area, and vice versa, without entering makeshift borders that are controlled by heavily armed soldiers. While the Meitei community has access to the only airport in the state, the Kukis must resort to 16 to 18 hours of driving to access an airport in Mizoram. The Christian organisation also sought the

A Catholic priest in India says “crisis, conflict and violence are becoming the way of life” in the country, after it suffered a rebuke in the U.S. State Department’s 2023 religious freedom report issued this week. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. government is concerned about the increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship of members of minority faith communities in India. “Christian communities reported that local police aided mobs that disrupted worship services over accusations of conversion activities, or stood by while mobs attacked them and then arrested the victims on conversion charges,” Blinken said on Wednesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi secured a third term earlier this month, but his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to achieve outright parliamentary majority in the Lok Sabha, the lower house. The BJP has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. The BJP has strong links to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist organization. Since it took over the national government in 2014, religious minorities have complained about increased harassment. Jesuit Father Prakash Louis said civil society organizations have in India been raising their voice against the violence unleashed on the minority

The trend of a weaponized government and citizen mob violence against India’s Christian minority has only grown worse in recent months, and believers continue to live in fear that they will be the next victims. Last week, multiple house church prayer meetings were cut short by police raids, resulting in several arrests. The accusations were predictable — the arrested parties were “forcing” the conversions of Hindu citizens, although no evidence exists to support the arrests. In Northern India, a small group of believers in a rural area, the Meitei, are facing intense discrimination to the point that they are being threatened with mass execution. During the last several months, hundreds of their churches have been burned, and many families have lost their homes. Their community demands the immediate halt of their practice of Christianity, or these consequences will only get more extreme. In both cases, appeals are being made to the government on behalf of the persecuted, though it is unknown if they will result in any meaningful change or protection. On June 26, a memorandum went to the Indian president demanding intervention in the case of the Meitei believers, asking for the government to stop the mass displacement taking place. On June

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concern over the rise in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, and the demolition of homes and places of worship belonging to minority faith communities in India. Speaking at the release of the annual State Department report on international religious freedom, Blinken noted that while these issues are escalating, efforts to protect religious freedom continue globally. The report highlights that senior US officials have persistently raised issues related to religious freedom with their Indian counterparts throughout 2023. Blinken remarked, “In India, we see a concerning increase in anti-conversion laws, hate speech, demolitions of homes and places of worship for members of minority faith communities. At the same time, people around the world are also working hard to protect religious freedom.” In India, ten out of 28 states have laws restricting religious conversions across all faiths. Some states impose additional penalties specifically targeting forced religious conversions for marriage. The 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom indicated that members of religious minority groups have questioned the government’s capability and willingness to protect them from violence, investigate crimes against them, and ensure their freedom of religion or belief. The Indian government has previously dismissed the US State Department’s annual human