Religious schools enjoy administrative autonomy under the Indian Constitution. However, the Supreme Court now opens them up to state interference. “Minority institutions must respect minimum criteria for the admission of students as well as the recruitment of teachers, like any other institution,” Kolkata teacher noted. Indian Catholics are against the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the government to appoint teachers in religious minority schools. “Article 30 of the Indian Constitution gives religious minorities the right to establish and administer their own educational institutions,” said Fr Felix Raj, vice rector of St Xavier's University in Kolkata, speaking to AsiaNews. The ruling came on 6 January and refers to the West Bengal Madrasa Service Commission Act of 2008. The court upheld a law that allows the federal government to screen teachers in state-aided madrassas (Islamic schools). The same principle can be applied to Christian schools, which run in the thousands. Under the Indian Constitution, minorities have the right to full school autonomy, including the right to choose their teachers based on their own notions of social progress. Fr Raj has an extensive experience in education, and was honoured with the Xavier Ratna Award from the Xavier Institute of Engineering, Mumbai, for his contribution to higher education and for making

A protester holds a placard during a rally by hundreds of Christians against recent attacks on churches nationwide, in Mumbai, February 9, 2015. Five churches in the Indian capital New Delhi have reported incidents of arson, vandalism and burglary. The latest was reported last week when an individual stole ceremonial items. (Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui) A Hindu group that claims to have reconverted 144 members of a tribal Christian community in Dang district in Gujarat was highly criticized by church leaders and activists in the country. Several years ago, as many as 144 tribal members accepted Christ and embraced Christianity as their new faith. But according to a religious leader from the region, the 144 were reconverted to Hinduism in Waghai taluka's Bhogadiya village. In an event organized by the Gujarat unit of Agniveer on January 24, Neha Patel, state president of Agniveer, told media that "We came to know that many tribals were converted to Christianity many years ago and many of them expressed interest to convert back to Hinduism, so we organized this program." According to Patel, of the 144 people who converted to Hinduism, 60 were from Bhogadiya village and the rest from neighboring villages. "We have not forced anybody to change their religion.

 From 2016 to 2019, Indian Christians have faced 1,774 cases of hate crimes across 25 states and 3 Union Territories, says Persecution Relief report. In other words, India witnessed 59.6 percent rise in hate crimes against Christians during the same period, says Persecution Relief’s much-awaited “Annual Report-2019. Persecution Relief is an ecumenical forum that records Christian persecution in India. In 2019 alone, the forum documented 527 cases compared to 447 cases in 2018, 440 in 2017 and 330 in 2016. It was a drastic leap of 179.4 percent. Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, emerged as the most hostile place for Christians for three consecutive years. Tamil Nadu continues at the second spot with 75 cases, followed by Karnataka, 32 cases, Maharashtra 4 with 31 cases and Bihar with 30 cases at number 5. What stands out among the hate crimes in India is that four Christians were murdered in 2019. In the same year, the forum recorded 199 incidents related to threats, intimidation and harassment against Christians, 104 attacks on churches, 85 incidents of physical violence, 100s of house churches forcefully closed by religious fanatics and the local administration in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The anti-conversion law was introduced in two states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata

Pastors and faithful arrested in Uttar Pradesh;  in Haryana a pastor beaten in turn by six people.  Christian leader complains of constant harassment of the "tiny Christian community": "Far-right radicals create public order problems, but then Christians are arrested." Pastors and faithful arrested on charges of forced conversions to Christianity;  a pastor surrounded by 250 Hindu radicals, beaten and detained in prison on the same charge.  These episodes have been taking place in northern India since the beginning of the new year,  confirming the climate of intolerance present in the country.  Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), condemns this "harassment of Christians" to AsiaNews. Yesterday two pastors arrested on 25th November in Uttar Pradesh were released on bail on charges of conversions extracted by force;  today another Christian should be freed.  The three men are: Rev. Om Prakash, 23, Rev.  Ajay Kumar, 20, and Kapil Dev Ram.  The arrest occurred following the assault on Mr. Ram's home, where a prayer rally was held. The neighbors broke into the room and would have beaten the two pastors if the landlord and his son had not intervened to defend them.  Later the Christians were denounced with various accusations: alleged promotion of discord between religious

If RSS is serious about appropriating Gandhi, it must embrace what he said: “Free India will be no Hindu Raj…it will be Indian Raj based not on the majority of any religious sect or community…” A recent editorial in the Organiser, the official organ of the RSS, in the guise of questioning the right of the Congress to lay claim to the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, staked the Sangh Parivar’s claim to be the true inheritor of the legacy. As if this was not audacious enough, the editorial is followed and buttressed by an essay which is by way of a tribute to the Mahatma by Mohan Bhagwat, the RSS chief. An innocent reader would indeed be impressed by the devotion expressed to Gandhiji and his values. But the innocent reader could still ask why the BJP-RSS establishment has taken no action to expel Sadhvi Pragya, who remains a BJP MP after publicly praising Gandhiji’s assassin, Nathuram Godse. Has the RSS-BJP become so democratic or even anarchic, that the RSS chief and the Prime Minister write paeans of praise to the Mahatma, but are not willing to sacrifice a single MP for publicly defying their public stand and cross the Lakshman Rekha? Can you

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday compared Mahatma Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying both believed in the same ideology Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday compared Mahatma Gandhi assassin Nathuram Godse with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying both believed in the same ideology. Rahul Gandhi, at an anti-CAA rally, launched a scathing attack on Modi and said he was making Indians to prove that they are Indians. Addressing participants at "Save the Constitution" march at Kalpetta in Wayanad, his Lok Sabha constituency on Martyr's Day, Gandhi said there was no difference between Godse and Modi. "Today, an ignorant man is trying to challenge Gandhi's ideology. He is creating an atmosphere of hatred. The ideology is same. Nathuram Godse and Narendra Modi, they believe in the same ideology. There is no difference except that Modi does not have the guts to say he believes in the ideology of Godse," the Wayanad MP said. Attacking the Prime Minister on the new Citizenship Law, Gandhi questioned Modi and asked who was he to ask Indians to prove that they were Indians. "Indians are being made to prove that they are Indians. Who is Narendra Modi to decide who is an Indian. Who gave Modi

Officials of a Church-backed NGO and a human rights’ body, which had organized an anti-CAA rally in Goa, have been booked under sections of the Goa Children’s Act and the Juvenile Justice Act. The First Information Report filed on January 30 at the Goa Police Women station in Panaji states that officials of Council for Social Justice and Peace and the Goa chapter of the National Human Rights Organisation had “exposed children to political ideology and aggressive language thereby subjecting the children to psychological abuse and not providing safe environment.” The Church-backed council headed by Father Savio Fernandes co-organized the rally on January 24 at Margaon in southern Goa. The rally opposed the Citizenship Amendment Act, National Citizenship Register and National Population Register the federal government insists on implementing. The federal coalition government is led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata, which also rules Goa state. Investigating officer Inspector Sudiksha Naik has filed the FIR under relevant sections of the Goa Children’s Act and Juvenile Justice Act. The FIR was filed following a complaint by Goa-based child rights NGO Stop Child Abuse Now (SCAN), which alleged that the organizers of the event had violated child rights by exposing minors to political ideology and aggressive derogatory language.

Hindu extremists in southern India who beat Christian children during worship on Jan. 19 and then filed a police complaint against the congregation left them with a warning. “If we hear that you stepped out of your homes and told anybody about this, we will set your homes on fire and will burn you alive,’” some of the 20 assailants told Christians gathered for worship on the terrace of a home in Malasamudra village, Karnataka state, according to those present. The Christians had begun worship at 7 a.m. when the radical Hindus came up the stairs to the terrace, unnoticed. Soon the small congregation saw the intruders taking photos and videotaping them, said Mary Bellary, who along with her husband Hanumanthappa Bellary was hosting the worship. “They flashed camera lights at children, and we requested them to please go and not disturb the prayers,” Mary Bellary said. “But they continued taking pictures, videotaping us and passed comments, saying, ‘Look! Christians gathered here on the terrace to carry out conversions.”’ When Bellary and other women tried to stop them from taking video of the 12 children present, the intruders pushed them away, she said. The Christians asked them to leave, and the intruders put their

Such a "blessing" is a typical purification ritual used against untouchables, deemed impure from birth. In Uttar Pradesh, ultra-nationalists are targeting 30 places of "forced conversions". Whilst “Conversions do take place,” and it is “a right,” said a priest. People “leave behind witchcraft and the worship of evil spirits.” A man chasing a group of Christians to “anoint” them with water mixed with cow dung in order to "purify" them from their faith is the prime character in a video posted yesterday on social media. The incident, which occurred in Machilipatnam Mandal, Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, has been viewed thousands of times. For Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), this is but latest episode of discrimination against India’s Christian minority. “This,” he told AsiaNews, “is the pathetic situation in which Christians live, dishonoured in public because they praise the name of Jesus.” "Water and cow dung are usually used for purification rituals, especially if Dalits touch something making the place or object ‘impure’,” George explained. "Below the video, someone wrote that ‘Christian pastors came to foist their propaganda and conversions but were chased away by throwing water mixed with dung on their faces." “In Telugu-speaking states (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), such an action is

In Machilipatnam Mandal, Andhra Pradesh, an offensive video of a man chasing a group of Christians in an attempt to purify them from their faith using water mixed with cow dung dragged attention on social media on February 7. Speaking to AsiaNews, Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), called this as an latest episode of discrimination against Christians in the country "This is the pathetic situation in which Christians live, dishonoured in public because they praise the name of Jesus," Geroge said. According to George, "Water and cow dung are usually used for purification rituals, especially if Dalits touch something making the place or object 'impure'." The video was posted with a comment that said, "Christian pastors came to foist their propaganda and conversions but were chased away by throwing water mixed with dung on their faces," and it was viewed thousands of times on the Internet. According to ADF India, in 2019 alone, over 300 incidents of mob attacks against Christians were reported of which only 40 were prosecuted by police.