A week of escalating persecution: Far-right Hindu groups target Christian gatherings in India
In recent times, India has been witnessing a dangerous shift where religious minorities, particularly Christians, are increasingly subjected to targeted violence. What once were isolated incidents have now become systematic assaults driven by far-right Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. These groups accuse Christians of converting Hindus under coercion or deceit, a claim which has little to no basis but is often used to justify violent attacks. The hostility against the Christian community is further exacerbated by the complicity of the state machinery, where the police, instead of protecting the vulnerable, are either passive spectators or active participants in these acts of persecution.
The United Christian Forum (UCF), which monitors hate crimes against Christians, noted that violence against the community has seen an alarming rise. In 2023, as per their report, over 687 incidents of violence were documented against Christians, depicting that an average of two Christians is attacked every day in India. The UCF report had contained incidents ranging from vandalism of churches to outright harassment and detention of Christians for holding prayer meetings. The issue has taken a political turn, with laws such as the anti-conversion legislation—present in several states—being used as tools to silence and intimidate Christian communities, despite the fact that religious conversions, particularly forced ones, are a rare phenomenon in India.
Furthermore, another recent report by the UCF documented 161 incidents in the first 75 days of 2024, with January 2024 witnessing 70 reported cases, followed by 62 in February, and 29 in the first half of March alone. The report highlighted that burial rights denied to families even as fabricated cases have seen over 100 Indian Christians arrested. Furthermore, according to the report, 122 pastors and other Christians from the community have been arrested so far on charges of religious conversion.
As per the said report, Chhattisgarh emerges as the state with the highest number of reported assaults against Christians and has recorded a shocking number 47 incidents. Sabrang India had also reported on March 14 how Chhattisgarh has witnessed rising attacks against Christians. Following closely behind was Uttar Pradesh which has, according to the press release, seen 36 incidents of violence against Christians.
Between October 13 and October 20, 2024, five distinct incidents across various states painted a grim picture of the escalating persecution of Christians in India. Each incident unfolded in a similar pattern: a peaceful Christian gathering was disrupted, claims of religious conversions were made, local Hindu nationalist groups intervened, and the police either failed to act impartially or were complicit in the harassment.
Details about the incidents:
October 13, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh
On October 13, an incident unfolded in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where police disrupted a Christian prayer meeting after a complaint was filed by Sarvesh Singh, the president of the National Gau Raksha Vahini. Singh, who is associated with a group notorious for its vigilante actions under the pretext of cow protection, accused the Christian gathering of engaging in conversions. In response, the police arrested a couple and detained several attendees, showing an immediate bias towards the complainant’s accusations without any prior investigation. This event follows a broader trend of Christians being targeted during religious gatherings in Uttar Pradesh, a state governed by a leadership known for its alignment with Hindutva ideology. In this charged environment, accusations of conversions are enough to disrupt lives, regardless of their veracity.
October 13, Jagatsinghpur, Odisha
Odisha, a state with a long history of communal tensions against Christians, has seen growing incidents of anti-Christian violence in recent years. In the district of Jagatsinghpur, members of the Bajrang Dal raided a Christian prayer meeting, accusing the attendees of engaging in religious conversions. The attackers threatened extreme violence, including beating the Christians to death, and even went as far as to threaten to strip the participants—a brutal attempt to humiliate them for practicing their faith. Though the attackers were handed over to the police, their boldness reflects a belief in their immunity from legal consequences, especially since incidents of this nature are rarely followed by strong action from law enforcement. Instead of protecting the victims, the focus often shifts to investigating baseless claims of conversion, leaving Christians vulnerable to repeated attacks.
October 17, Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh
The hostility against Christians in rural India often comes in subtle but persistent forms, making it clear that they are considered outsiders. In Dhamtari, a Christian family seeking to perform a burial ceremony for a deceased loved one was met with resistance from members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. The two groups protested against the burial, arguing that Christians should not have the right to use the village cemetery, despite the fact that Christians have lived in the village for generations. The extremists demanded that the body be buried outside the village limits, and it was only after the local administration intervened that the burial was allowed to proceed. However, the family had to concede to the extremists’ demands and bury the deceased outside the village. This denial of basic rights like burial underscores the deep prejudice faced by Christians in rural communities, where far-right groups operate with impunity, enforcing their own social codes.
October 17, Saharsa, Bihar
The anti-Christian sentiment in Bihar has been on the rise, and the events in Saharsa further reflect this disturbing trend. VHP activists, accompanied by the local police, disrupted a Christian prayer meeting, confiscating religious items including Bibles and other Christian literature. A pastor was detained as well. This incident is a striking example of how local law enforcement often acts in tandem with Hindu nationalist groups, carrying out raids that target peaceful religious gatherings. By confiscating religious texts and arresting leaders of the Christian community, the state not only violates the constitutional right to religious freedom but also sends a chilling message that Christians are not welcome to worship freely in their own country.
October 20, Amethi, Uttar Pradesh
In Amethi, a district known for its political significance, the police raided the home of a Christian family after local villagers complained about alleged religious conversions taking place under the guise of prayer meetings. The raid, based on unverified allegations, resulted in the detention of three members of the family. It is worth noting that Uttar Pradesh has become a hotbed for incidents where far-right groups, emboldened by the anti-conversion laws in the state, accuse Christians of coercing others into adopting their faith. These accusations rarely hold up under scrutiny, but the damage is already done, as families are subjected to raids, public humiliation, and legal battles. The arrest of individuals based on unsubstantiated claims points to a broader strategy to intimidate and weaken religious minorities, using the state apparatus to facilitate harassment.
Widespread implications: A threat to India’s secular fabric
These incidents are not isolated; they are part of a broader narrative of rising religious intolerance and shrinking space for minorities, particularly religious minorities such as Christians. The concerted efforts of Hindu nationalist groups to monitor, disrupt, and attack Christian gatherings are indicative of a larger strategy to suppress religious diversity. The central issue in all these cases is the allegation of religious conversions, a charge frequently used to justify violence. However, this claim often lacks evidence, and in most instances, peaceful prayer meetings are falsely accused of being conversion drives.
The complicity of local police and the tacit support of political figures associated with right-wing ideologies fuel this atmosphere of fear. State governments, particularly those led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have emboldened these groups by either remaining silent or actively pushing anti-conversion laws that disproportionately target Christians and other religious minorities. Anti-conversion laws, present in over eight Indian states, provide the legal cover for extremists to launch attacks under the pretence of protecting Hinduism from external threats.
This state-backed aggression threatens not just Christians but the constitutional values of religious freedom and secularism, which India has long prided itself on. The sheer frequency of these incidents—at least five in just one week—points to a deeply rooted problem, where vigilante justice has become normalised, and religious persecution is institutionalised. This dangerous escalation threatens to tear apart India’s pluralistic social fabric, as the line between religion and politics continues to blur, with minorities paying the heaviest price.
The week spanning mid-October 2024 serves as a grim reminder of the growing intolerance faced by Christians in India. As far-right Hindu groups intensify their campaign of harassment and violence, the state’s silence, and in some cases, its participation, further emboldens these actors. The police’s involvement in these attacks is particularly alarming, as it reflects a breakdown of legal protections for religious minorities. If India is to preserve its democratic and secular identity, it must hold these groups accountable and ensure that law enforcement acts in the interest of justice, not ideology. Religious freedom is a cornerstone of India’s Constitution, and its erosion threatens the very foundations of the nation’s democracy. The international community and civil society must urgently address this rising tide of religious persecution before it escalates further, pushing India into deeper religious conflict.
This article was originally published on https://cjp.org.in/a-week-of-escalating-persecution-far-right-hindu-groups-target-christian-gatherings-in-india/
