Unidentified miscreants allegedly hurled a bomb at the Baptist Church on Mission Road near Buxi Bazaar here late on Friday night. Sources said members of the church were holding a meeting when the explosion occurred on its premises at around 10 pm. Though no one noticed the bomb being hurled, the explosion caused substantial damage on the concrete floor of the church. “We heard the explosion and on rushing to the spot, found the working members gathered near the damaged site,” locals said adding, it was likely caused to create disturbance in the locality. On being informed, a team of Cantonment police reached the spot and launched an investigation. “The cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained,” police said. This article is originally published on https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2024/Jun/15/cuttack-miscreants-hurl-bomb-at-baptist-church

Manipur is witnessing renewed violence, with the latest escalations being reported from Jiribam district, an area that borders Assam’s Cachar district, after a Meitei farmer’s death was attributed to a Kuki-Zo armed group. Recently, two individuals from the Hmar-Mizo tribal communities, which are part of the larger Zo tribe, were reportedly killed, and 48 houses and a church owned by tribals were destroyed, displacing more than 800 tribal and 220 Meitei residents. The immediate cause of the outbreak is believed to be the retaliatory violence by some individuals from the Meitei community against the Hmar-Mizo community following the murder of a 59-year-old Meitei farmer. The suspects in this killing have not been identified, though there are unverified suspicions pointing to Kuki-Zo “militants.” This has sparked a vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence. On June 6, in alleged retaliation for the death of a Meitei farmer, some Meiteis reportedly set fire to houses belonging to the Hmar-Mizo community. In response, members of the Hmar-Mizo community burned houses of the Meiteis. Kuki-Zo groups report that a significant number of armed members from the Meitei extremist group, Arambai Tenggol, and the separatist insurgent group, the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), have arrived in Jiribam, escalating tensions in

Christianity has been a presence in India since the days of St. Thomas the Apostle. The Indian Orthodox Church, or Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, severed communion with the Church of Constantinople in 451, over the definition of the natures of Christ at the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the Council of Chalcedon. “Persecuted Christians in Manipur Face Dual Crisis of Violence and Floods,” by Hannah Chowdhry and Juliet Chowdhry, Pakistan Christian Post, June 8, 2024: London: A surge in religious extremism in Manipur, India, have led to severe religious persecution against the Kuki Christian community. Over 200 Christians have been killed, and numerous villages, houses, and churches have been destroyed, resulting in significant displacement and hardship. The violence has left around 70,000 Kuki Christians homeless and struggling for basic necessities such as food, clothing, and medicine…. While the government has set up some relief camps, their capacity is limited, accommodating only about 10% of the displaced population. This has left many without adequate shelter and struggling to survive. Dr. Chongloi has emphasized the insufficiency of the government’s relief efforts and the urgent need for more substantial support. Compounding these challenges, flash floods in the Kangpokpi (KPI) district resulted in early cancellations of relief distribution efforts by

The Christian community in an eastern Indian state has taken a cautious "wait and watch" approach after the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a landslide in the state, where anti-Christian violence claimed around 100 lives over 15 years ago. The BJP pulled off a stunning victory in the just concluded Odisha state elections. It defeated the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), a secular regional party that ruled the state uninterruptedly for 24 years. The BJP won 78 seats in the 147-member Odisha State Assembly and secured 20 of the 21 parliamentary seats in the simultaneously held state and parliamentary elections. The results were declared on June 4. Mohan Majhi, a four-time BJP legislator, was sworn in as the chief minister on June 12. The 52-year-old politician was a teacher in a school run by the powerful Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS--National Volunteer Corps). The RSS is considered the mother organization of the BJP and an umbrella body of all hardline Hindu organizations in the country that are blamed for attacking religious minorities such as Christians and Muslims. “The change of guard is a matter of concern for us Christians as our people have not yet fully recovered from the shock of the 2008 Kandhamal

Christian leaders have urged India’s newly sworn coalition government to change the leadership in strife-torn Manipur where ongoing sectarian violence since May 3 last year has claimed around 220 lives and displaced over 50,000, mostly tribal Christian people. Their appeal came in reaction to the call by chief of the parent organization of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to find a solution to the escalating violence in the remote northeastern state. A C Michael, a New Delhi-based Catholic leader, said Mohan Bhagwat, chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS or national volunteers' group), holds considerable influence over the ruling BJP. Bhagwat addressed a gathering in Nagpur city, the RSS headquarters, on June 10 and said, "It is important to resolve the conflict as a priority." Michael said, "Merely saying so is not enough." The Christian leader said Bhagwat should take steps to remove federal Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh from their offices. “They [Shah and Singh] are responsible for the current plight of the people of Manipur. If they continue to be at the helm of affairs, no justice could be expected for the suffering people,” Michael added. He demanded India's new ruling coalition led by the

Catholic bishops have appealed to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make his new term “inclusive” by treating all citizens equally and upholding the country’s constitutional values.Modi was sworn in for another five-year term on June 9 after his pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the help of allies, secured 293 seats in the Indian parliament. The coalition government was formed after the BJP, accused of following a Hindu-first policy, failed to win the required simple majority of 272 seats in the 543-seat Lok Sabha (lower house). The seven-phased national polls ended on June 1, and results were declared on June 4. The bishops appealed to the coalition government “to work diligently towards upholding constitutional values, ensuring justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity for all citizens.” “It is imperative that the government remains inclusive and committed to the welfare of all sections of society, particularly the marginalized and vulnerable,” said the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) in a statement on June 9. The bishops said the elections highlighted “the strength of India's democratic ethos.” The opposition accused Modi, who came to power in 2014, of following policies to turn India into a theocratic Hindu nation in his third term. India witnessed 147 incidents of violence against Christians

Narendra Modi took the oath of office as prime minister of India for the third consecutive time at Rashtrapati Bhawan, home to its president, on a warm Sunday night, an unusual time for such magnificent functions of state. Squirming under the cloudless night, lit not by the moon and the stars but by gigantic floodlights, were heads of government of neighboring South Asian countries barring Pakistan, India’s trillionaires, and political stars across party lines. Only some in the several thousand invited gathering would have noticed that among those sworn in were two junior ministers from the tiny state of Kerala in the extreme south of the country. One was a Christian who had not contested any seat in the elections but was a staunch loyalist of the prime minister’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Kurien George, a former vice chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, and a senior state leader of the party, was sworn in as a minister of state. He is expected to be made a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament, from one of the states where the BJP has significant strength in the legislative assembly. The other new minister is also a strong BJP loyalist. Film

As the dust settles from India’s recent elections, the Christian community, numbering approximately 71 million, braces for what many fear will be an even more challenging future. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing another term, the anxiety among Christians is palpable. In my work with Open Doors, an organization dedicated to supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, I’ve observed the escalating threats and violence of recent years. The urgent question now is whether the new government will listen to our pleas for protection and basic fairness. India, renowned for its cultural and religious diversity, has seen this rich tapestry increasingly torn by religious intolerance. Over the past decade, there has been a marked rise in the persecution of Christians, a fact underscored by India’s prominent placement in Open Doors' World Watch List, an annual ranking of nations where Christians face stiffest persecution and discrimination. Sadly, the rise of Modi and the BJP has only emboldened extremist groups, resulting in more frequent and severe attacks on Christians. Christians representation in India’s governance remains scant. This lack of representation leaves Christians vulnerable, as their concerns and needs are often overlooked in the political arena. However, during the elections, churches across

  Pastor Josemon Pathrose spent nearly all of February in jail and finally got his confiscated vehicle back after four months. The harassment and criminal charges he’s endured at the hands of Hindu extremists are not uncommon in India. Pastor Pathrose and another Christian were driving back to their base in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh state from Uttar Pradesh state on Feb. 3 when they stopped in Khudatpura village, Jalaun District, to visit a family who had attended his online meeting. As they were having tea, members of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad barged in, alleging the 55-year-old pastor was visiting to fraudulently convert people. Police soon arrived and arrested Pastor Pathrose and his companion, seized his vehicle, Bibles and literature and took them and three other Christians to the Madhogarh police station, he said. “They slapped us as they questioned us,” Pastor Pathrose told Morning Star News. “They called me the leader of the ‘conversion racket’ and beat me more than my friend.” Officers asked them how much money they offered for each conversion to Christianity, how many people had they converted, where they got foreign funds for conversions, how many places had they evangelized, and “Who else is