Christians have criticised a controversial bill in Assam that bans prayers for healing. The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, threatens people who conduct so-called "magical healing" with harsh fines and even imprisonment, Crux reports. It makes "inhuman, evil, or magical healing practices" illegal and offenders face up to five years in prison or a maximum fine of 100,000 rupees. According to Crux, the Chief Minister of Assam said the bill was "an important milestone" in efforts to "curb evangelism in Assam." The bill was passed on February 26 and will need to be ratified by India's president Droupadi Murmu before it comes into force. Local Christians fear that it is a precursor to the introduction of anti-conversion laws that have been used in other states to crackdown on Christians. John Moolachira of Guwahati Archdiocese and president of the Assam Christian Forum shared his disbelief about the bill in comments to India's The Print. "We don't simply go around healing — it is part of our prayer. We have healing prayers like every other religion — when sick people come, we pray for them — individually, or by making them stand together in a group. We don't do magic to heal people. Why is the government making it illegal and

Eight Christians from a local house church in Chhattisgarh, India, were recently attacked and beaten in the street on their way home from their weekly worship gathering. The attack was predicated on the accusations of forced conversion activities and carried out by the same radical Hindu groups that have been behind many similar incidents.   According to a witness to the event, the mob began harassing the pastor and several of his congregants after they left the service. It didn’t take long before several other villagers joined the mob, and it became violent. The attackers beat them with sticks and clubs for some time before emergency services had to transport them to the ICU in order to care for their injuries.   The pastor sustained the worst of the injuries to both his head and chest, and he remained in critical condition for some time. He has led this church in his home for many years, and this is not the first time he has been subjected to brutal persecution. Still, he continues on in the work the Lord has called him to, serving the local church as much as he is able to.   In response to the incident, a local believer said, “The persecution has increased after

New Delhi: After the cancellation of the Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA) licences of five prominent non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on April 3, the home ministry has said that the action was taken following “due process of law”, the Economic Times reported. CNI Synodical Board of Social Service, Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI), Indo-Global Social Service Society, Church Auxiliary for Social Action and Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), are the five NGOs that lost their license. EFI general secretary Vijayesh Lal confirmed that their renewal application of FCRA licence was denied. “It is very surprising that the umbrella and representative body of Evangelical Christians in India and one that is involved in significant inter-faith, charity, and prayer initiatives to bless and unite the nation, is identified as a body that can ‘prejudicially’ affect inter-religious, or social harmony,” Lal told the Economic Times. “On the contrary, it is one of EFI’s main works to act as bridge builders and agents of reconciliation to bring together a society that is increasingly being fragmented on religious and political lines. We are still debating on the next course of action and will take a call on the same soon,” he added. It may be noted that EFI collects

Two Christians were arrested on Easter Sunday in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh for allegedly violating the state’s sweeping anti-conversion law, media reports said. Police on March 31 intercepted two buses with 110 passengers, traveling from Kanpur to Unnao. They were allegedly heading for an event where a religious conversion event was taking place, according to the Times of India newspaper. Two people were arrested on charges of violating the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act 2021, media reports said.Mahesh Kumar, assistant commissioner of police, said the accused - Simon Williams and Deepak Morris - promised 50,000 rupees (some US$600) each to the passengers if they embraced Christianity. Activists of the right-wing Hindu group Bajrang Dal alerted the police and the buses were intercepted."Apart from cash, they were assured jobs. The unmarried people were promised help in finding partners," Kumar added. Williams and Morris were arrested based on a complaint by Sunil Balmiki, one of the passengers who filed a complaint.“We are closely monitoring the case” of Williams and Morris, Christian activist Minakshi Singh told UCA News on April 2. Singh, general secretary of Unity in Compassion, a charity based in Uttar Pradesh, said that “it is too early to

India has seen over 150 incidents of anti-Christian discrimination and persecution so far in 2024. According to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the lives of Christians are under threat in 19 states in India. A new report from the United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCF), an Indian ecumenical organization monitoring Christian persecution, says a total of 161 incidents of anti-Christian discrimination and persecution have been reported so far this year. ACN says almost 30 percent of the cases occurred in Chhattisgarh, a landlocked state in central India with a population of nearly 30 million people. According to the most recent census, 93.25 percent of the state is Hindu, 2 percent is Muslim, and just 1.92 percent are Christian. The Catholic organization says Chhattisgarh is notorious for the ostracization of Christians –“including villagers denying their neighbors the right to bury their dead according to Christian rites.” The state is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also is the ruling party of the national government.The UCF report came out in anticipation of the general elections for the lower house in India, which will be held between April 19 and June 1. The report, sent to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in

A Catholic bishop in Uttar Pradesh state on March 12 expressed relief after a court granted bail to a Catholic and 10 Protestants. “Finally, I am able to give you good news. The District Judge [in Barabanki] has granted bail to Father Dominic [Pinto] and all those who were arrested with him. Praise the Lord,” says a message from Bishop Gerald John Mathias of Lucknow. The 11 were in judicial custody since February 6, a day after they were arrested for allegedly trying to convert poor Hindus in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Bishop Mathias thanked all those who prayed and made sacrifices for the bail. “So many people including bishops, priests, sisters, lay faithful, and youth have been praying. God has finally heard our prayers,” he added. Besides Father Pinto, the court granted bail to Anil, Surju Prasad Gautam, Pawan Kumar, Sunil Pasi, Ghanshyam Gautam, Surendra Paswan, Rahul Paswan, Ramcharan Rawat, Dharmendra Kori and Suraj Gautham. On February 5, the police in Barabanki district arrested Father Pinto, 41, and others after some Hindu hardliners complained that they had conducted a mass religious conversion gathering at Navintha, the pastoral center of the Lucknow diocese. The following day, the Chief Judicial

Church leaders on March 29 slammed the attacks on Christian communities in Manipur and North India, and called for a united stand against divisive forces that seek to terrorise people in the name of religion and race. Archbishop Thomas J. Netto of the Latin Archdiocese of Thiruvananthapuram underscored the need to fight and defeat narrow-minded approaches expressed through legislations such as the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. Dark forces are unleashing violence upon Christians in Manipur and North India, yet there is no effective intervention on the part of the authorities, he said. Archbishop Netto was addressing the faithful after a Way of the Cross procession jointly organised by Christian denominations in State capital Thiruvananthapuram as part of the Good Friday observance.Church leaders have come out strongly against the attacks on Christians at a time when election campaigns in Kerala have picked up pace in the run-up to the April 26 Lok Sabha election. Archbishop Netto said the need to adopt a strong stance against such disruptive forces should be clearly understood. “We should make good use of the opportunity to clearly express our opinion,” he said. He also urged Christian denominations to stand united to fight for minority rights, and the freedoms of religion and expression

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has voiced concern over the Indian government’s notification of rules to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), saying no one should be denied citizenship based on religion or belief. Rules for implementation of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA) were notified earlier this month, paving the way for granting citizenship to undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.“The problematic CAA establishes a religious requirement for asylum seekers in India fleeing neighbouring countries,” USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck said in a statement Monday. Schneck said that while CAA provides a fast track to citizenship for Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians, the law explicitly excludes Muslims.While critics have questioned the government over the exclusion of Muslims from the Act, India has strongly defended its move. “The CAA is about giving citizenship, not about taking away citizenship. It addresses the issue of statelessness, provides human dignity and supports human rights,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Radhir Jaiswal said recently, asserting that the law is an internal matter of India. India in the past has also dismissed USCIRF’s locus standi to comment on India’s human rights record.In his statement, Schneck said, “If the law were truly aimed at protecting persecuted

KANDHAMAL, India: In India’s Kandhamal district, the scars of brutal attacks on Christians 16 years ago still linger, evoking fear and uncertainty among the minority community. As the country braces for upcoming elections with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expected to secure another term, many Christians worry about the resurgence of violence and persecution. The 2008 attacks, triggered by the murder of a Hindu priest, left a devastating impact, with mobs targeting Christians and leaving scores dead. Survivors like Deepti recall the horrors of that time, including incidents of gang rape and widespread sexual assault. Last year, the Vatican initiated the beatification process for 35 individuals killed in the violence, offering a glimmer of hope for the community. However, for many, the trauma persists, overshadowing any sense of closure or justice. The looming elections add to the apprehension, especially amid concerns of rising Hindu nationalism and the BJP’s alleged agenda to convert India into a Hindu state. Reports of attacks against Christians across the country further fuel anxiety, with memories of past atrocities still fresh. Despite reassurances from political leaders, including Modi, many Christians remain wary, fearing a repeat of past violence. The recent inauguration of a temple in Ayodhya, a site marked by historical

A Christian couple in central India have not seen their two young children for more than a month after an attack by followers of traditional tribal religion drove them from their village for refusing to recant their faith. Aayatu Ram Podiyami, 35, was assaulted twice in Gupanpal village, Sukma District, 31 miles from the Sukma city in Chhattisgarh state, for refusing to recant his Christian faith.Aayatu Podiyami managed to escape into the jungle on both occasions, but his father, Mangu Ram Podiyami, “is not young and swift” and was unable to outrun the second assault.The mob stopped beating him after he passed out, and his assailants thought he was dead,” Aayatu Podiyami said. He and his wife and father have not returned home since taking refuge at a secure place on Feb. 12.The couple has two daughters, ages 7 and 4. Aayatu Podiyami is the sole surviving son among three siblings, and also remaining at his house are his mother, younger brother’s widow and child, and his older brother’s son. “I cannot go back home to see my children,” Aayatu Podiyami told Morning Star News. “Our assailants are on the watch, eyeing on our house, waiting for me to return. God is our only hope. Please