A silent Christmas for families of 112 jailed Indian Christians

For years, Christmas at Virendra Yadav’s modest home in northern India meant cake, prayer, and a crowded table of relatives and friends celebrating the birth of Jesus.

This year, the house is quiet.

Yadav and his teenage son are spending Christmas in silence and prayer after his wife, Laxmi Yadav, was jailed two months ago under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion law, accused of illegally converting others to Christianity — a charge her family strongly denies.

Laxmi Yadav, 35, is among at least 112 Christians across India who will spend Christmas this year in jail, most of them accused of breaking state anti-conversion laws, according to Christian advocacy groups.

The majority, at least 82, are detained in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, which has seen a surge in arrests since the law was amended, strengthening it in 2024.

On Dec. 22, Yadav stood outside Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur district jail, waiting for a brief visit with his wife.

I have come with nothing except prayer and encouragement, he said. I want to wish her a Christmas in prison and assure her she is not alone.

Laxmi Yadav was denied bail by a lower court and has appealed to the Allahabad High Court, with a hearing expected in January.

Her husband insists she is imprisoned solely because of her Christian faith.

She is innocent, he said. We know she will miss Christmas with us, but we believe she will be cleared.

Christian leaders say the people on their list of Christians languishing in prisons across India share a story similar to the Yadavs.

These people are in prison not for any crime, but for their faith, said A.C. Michael, a leader of the United Christian Forum (UCF), a New Delhi-based ecumenical body that documents alleged persecution of Christians.

It is deeply painful that families are separated during Christmas, he said. They are witnesses to shrinking religious space and growing intolerance.

India’s anti-conversion laws — now enforced in 12 states, with many governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — criminalize religious conversions carried out through coercion, inducement or fraud.

Critics argue the laws are routinely misused to target religious minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims.

In typical cases, a group barges into a Christian prayer service, accusing them of converting people, and complain to the police, who detain a group of Christians on charges of violating several provisions of the law.

Pastor Joy Mathew, who assists accused Christians with legal aid in Uttar Pradesh, said not a single allegation could provide any evidence or a conversion victim.

In most instances, there is not even a prima facie case, he said. No victim is produced in court, yet people are sent to jail.

Mathew and other Christian leaders allege that complaints are frequently filed by members of Hindu right-wing groups and that police often act without preliminary investigations.

A senior Christian leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said bail has become increasingly difficult under the tightened laws.

Mere allegations are enough to put someone behind bars, he said. Even when the police fail to identify a single victim, Christians remain imprisoned for months.

Despite the hardship, community leaders say they are trying to preserve the spirit of Christmas.

Christian activist Surendra Rao said volunteers will visit families of those jailed, offering prayers, food, and solidarity.

This is how we make Christmas meaningful, Rao said. By standing with those who suffer for their faith.

Back in Gorakhpur, Virendra Yadav clings to hope as he prepares for a Christmas without his wife.

We will miss her, he said softly. But we believe truth will prevail — even if it takes time.