Christians in India face rising persecution and discrimination in the hands of hardline Hindu groups
A sharp rise in persecution of Christians in India this year was reported by New Delhi-based ecumenical human rights group, United Christian Forum in its report last Thursday. It shows 525 cases of anti-Christian violence recorded since January. The figure was 505 in the entire last year.
In June, the highest 89 cases of violence against Christians were reported. The report comes at a time when India just finished as a host to G20 nations summit attended by US President Joe Biden in the national capital. Some 520 Christians have been arrested for allegedly violating stringent anti-conversion laws in various states.
The report also highlights 54 cases of social discrimination against Christians such as denying access to water sources. The Forum, however, could not record happenings in sectarian violence-hit Manipur as many places in the northeastern state are still inaccessible.
Nearly 200 people were killed, over 300 churches were destroyed and some 54,000 people were displaced amid clashes between predominantly Christian tribal people and Hindu-majority Meitei community.
The targeting of Christians began after a video went viral on social media a fortnight earlier which claimed the members of an indigenous community ate beef in a village in eastern Nepal. The cow is considered a sacred animal in Hinduism.
Hardline Hindus claimed the cow slaughter and beef eating have hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus and incited violence. The attacks came amid debates and hate speeches over a law that criminalizes cow slaughter and beef consumption.
Slaughtering cows and consuming meat for religious and cultural practices is prevalent among some ethnic communities. Religious and ethnic minorities say the cow protection law is used to harass people in a country that has a long history of discrimination against minorities.
The article is published on https://southasiajournal.net/christians-in-india-face-rising-persecution-and-discrimination-in-the-hands-of-hardline-hindu-groups/
