Last year, there were several incidents of attack on house churches, Christian leaders and worship places in India, and following the re-election of BJP, Christians in the country see 2020 as a year of challenges to practice their faith freely. "Nobody should be persecuted because of their faith," said Tehmina Arora, a practicing Supreme Court lawyer and Director of ADF India. "In India, more and more Christians suffer from an increasing number of physical and verbal assaults." According to Arora, majority of the violence against Christians is planned and executed by the radical Hindu nationalists, frquently incited by the pro-Hindu government's nationalistic polices. Even though more than 300 cases of mob attacks against Christians of all denominations are registered, only less than 40 of those cases were prosecuted by the police, Arora pointed. In addition, the recent controversial laws implemented by the BJP government has given rise to a lot of religious tension across the country. There is nationwide protest and citizens are opposing the laws that bring about religious discrimination. More than 20 people have lost their life due to violent response from the authorities. Looking at the intolerance and persecution against Christians and other minorities in the country, Christians do not feel there

SHORTLY BEFORE HIS EXECUTION, in the early hours of 15 November 1949, Nathuram Vinayak Godse, the Hindu-supremacist fanatic who killed Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 30 January 1948, recited a prayer: Namaste Sada Vatsale MatrubhumeTwaya Hindubhume Sukham VardhitohamMahanmangale Punyabhume TwadarthePatatvesh Kayo Namaste, Namaste!O affectionate motherland, I eternally bow to youO land of Hindus, you have reared me in comfortO sacred and holy land,May this body of mine be dedicated to you and I bow before you again and again! These four Sanskrit sentences constitute the first of the three stanzas of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s official prayer, which continues to be sung to this day at its shakhas—regular assemblies meant for physical and ideological training.

People of different faiths came together on January 12 to participate in a ”sarva dharma sambhava” – a multi-faith prayer ceremony – at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh, where anti-citizenship law protesters have been demonstrating for almost a month now. The inter-faith ceremony had a traditional Hindu-style “hawan” and chants of Sikh “kirtan.” The participants read out the Preamble of the Indian Constitution and took an oath to preserve its “socialist, secular” values. “Scriptures from the Gita, the Bible, the Quran were read and Gurbani held. Then the Preamble of the Constitution was also read out by people from varying faiths who are supporting this movement,” Syed Taseer Ahmed, one of the organizers of the protest, told news agency PTI. The crowd swelled to thousands by evening. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was among those who addressed the protest in the evening. Being a Sunday and the weather relatively warmer, more people, could join the protest, he added. The concept of ”sarv dharm sambhav” (equal respect for all religions or peaceful co-existence of all religions) was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi during India’s freedom struggle against the British rule to promote inter-faith harmony. Hundreds of protesters, including women and children, stayed put at the Sarita Vihar-Kalindi Kunj road

 Veteran poet N D Mahanor on January 9 opened All India Marathi Literature Festival amid tight security in view of threats from right-wing Hindu organizations. The groups had warned Mahanor, a Padma Shri and Sahitya Academy awardee—not to inaugurate the festival as a Christian priest, Father Francis D’Britto, presided over the festival. The priest is a Marathi writer. The literature festival was held January 10-12 in Osmanabad in Maharashtra, some 410 km southeast of Mumbai, the state capital. “I have been getting calls since January 1 asking me not to attend the festival as a Christian man is the president. Akhil Bharatiya Brahman Mahasabha had sent a letter asking me not to inaugurate the event, as they would be protesting at the venue. But there was no question for me not to inaugurate the festival.” Mahanor told NewsClick, Anand Dave, secretary of All India Brahman Mahasabha (grand council of Brahman), said his organization did not threaten the 78-year-old litterateur. “We requested him not to inaugurate the festival that is presided by a Christian priest. We did not want him to witness our protests at the venue,” he said. However, Mahanor’s close aides have said that repeated calls and “requests” in harsh words constitute a threat

Fact-finding committee of Congress on JNU violence said the January 5 attack inside the campus was “state-sponsored” and recommended VC be dismissed and criminal investigation initiated against him A fact-finding committee of the Congress on the JNU violence on Sunday said the January 5 attack inside the university campus was "state-sponsored" and recommended Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar be dismissed and criminal investigation initiated against him. The Congress had appointed a four-member fact-finding committee to carry out a detailed inquiry into the violence at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Sushmita Dev, member of the committee, said the committee recommended that Kumar should be dismissed immediately and all the appointments in faculty should be probed and independent inquiry should take place. "Criminal investigation must take place against the VC and faculty members and the security company," the Mahila Congress chief said. "It is clear that the attack on JNU campus was state-sponsored," Dev said. She also demanded a complete rollback of the JNU fee hike. The other members of the fact-finding committee are Hibi Eden, MP and former NSUI president, Syed Naseer Hussain, MP and former president of JNU NSUI and Amrita Dhawan, a former NSUI president and ex-DUSU president. On January 5 night, masked people armed with rods

Overnight hooligans vandalised the altar and destroyed the tabernacle. Hosts were scattered on the ground, dishonouring “Our Blessed Lord and Saviour”. Archbishop Machado proclaimed a day of reparation and prayer for Friday. The St Francis Assisi Catholic Church in Kengeri, Bengaluru (Bangalore) was vandalised last night. Reacting to the outrage, Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore said: “I am not only terribly shocked but also greatly grieved that desecration was done to the Eucharistic Lord in that church.” The prelate said that the parish priest, Fr Satish, of the Order of Capuchin Friars, informed him of the wreckage. Perhaps in an attempted theft, hooligans ransacked the altar, destroyed the tabernacle, and scattered the hosts all over the place. At present, little is known about the reasons behind the desecration. A complaint has been filed with the local police and an investigation is underway. According to early witness accounts, nothing was stolen, suggesting that vandalism was the goal; however, police have not ruled out anything. “We all know,” said Mgr Machado, “that this sacrilege and serious dishonour done to Our Blessed Lord and Saviour is a matter of great concern, not only to the parishioners of St Francis Assisi Parish but also to the religious feelings of everyone in

Helpline records of United Christian Forum (UCF) reported 17 incidents of violence against Christians in the country within the first 19 days of the New Year 2020. UCF is a national organization that documents cases of violence against churches and Christians in India and upholds fundamental freedoms and promotes values of justice, equality, liberty and fraternity. The incidents recorded at UCF's helpline number showed nine states with Uttar Pradesh leading the list with six incidents of violence against Christian minorities. A. C. Michael, convener of the UCF, lamented that "Year 2020 has begun well for those who like to harass the Christian community." Michael, a Christian leader, told Matters India that among many incidents that took place, five were due to the complicity of the authorities who also restricted 10 religious activities. Most of them were mob threats and in one of the cases a Church property was severely damaged. Including women and children, 69 people were affected in these incidents of violence because of their faith.

Number of protests against CAA-NRC in various parts of country is increasing, not decreasing. Contrary to claims being made by top BJP leaders in public rallies and media statements The number of protests against CAA-NRC in various parts of the country is increasing, not decreasing.  Contrary to claims being made by top BJP leaders in public rallies and media statements, the countrywide movement against the Citizenship Amendment Law and the National Register of Citizens is gathering strength with each passing week. Less than two weeks ago, on January 10, a fact checking site monitored 261 CAA-related protests across 24 States of which 230 were against the law and only 31 were in favour. The latest data compiled by the same agency on January 23 shows that the total number of protests has risen to 374, of which 322 are anti-CAA-NRC and 52 are pro. What is interesting about the database is that an interactive web page has been put up to regularly update the statistics based on news reports, social media posts and verification by local police stations.  Although it is a private initiative, it provides a useful overview of the geographical spread of protests across the map of India as well as

The victims contested the rebirth of a movement that defended the tribal land, even with violence. Some media reports that those killed are Christians; the local Church does not confirm. The "inexplicable" violence between two factions both fighting for survival.  Seven tribals have been kidnapped and beheaded by a group of supporters of the "Pathalgadi movement", who in Jharkhand are fighting for land tenure. Their bodies were abandoned in the Saranda forest, West Singhbhum district, and found by the police on January 20. Speaking to AsiaNews, Msgr. Felix Toppo, Archbishop of Ranchi, confirms the news of the murders, but not reports according to which the dead are Christian Murmu, as reported by some newspapers. "We are not sure, we are investigating". “Whether they are Christian or not - he highlights – this is a serious and inexplicable fact. We are deeply saddened. " Despite the mutilated bodies, the inhabitants recognized the victims. They are: James Buda, Songe Topna, Lomba Buda, Etva Buda, Jawra Buda, Nirmal Buda and Bonam Longa. The tribals were 24 to 35 years old. Mr. Buda was a representative of the local panchayat, i.e. the village council. The corpses are currently at the Sadar Hospital in Chaibasa for autopsy investigations. The violence

Before Pastor Jai Singh appeared before a judge in northern India and was jailed on false charges of luring people to convert, Hindu extremists had dragged him from house worship to a school where groups of six beat him in turns, he said. “From the school, they took me to a Hindu temple and forced me to sit before the idols,” Singh said. “They told me that they ‘are policemen, we can make you admit whatever we want.’ They had beaten up my legs with wooden sticks and pulled my legs apart.” He was wearing a long, white tunic called a Kameez that was soaked in blood from the beatings on Jan. 5 in Bichpari village, Sonipat District, about an hour north of Delhi. “They forcefully undressed me and threw my Kameez away,” Pastor Singh told Morning Star News. “It was evening by the time they dropped me at Gohana police station. I was severely bruised and was howling in pain.” The radical Hindus had assaulted him and other house-church worshippers after an attempt to attack their mother church in nearby Siwanka over Christmas was thwarted, sources said. The pastor, who struggles to provide for his family as a day-laborer, is still unable to walk due to the