Hindu nationalists have falsely accused Christian missionaries of being behind the lynching of two Hindu priests, placing the country's already-persecuted Christian minority further at risk. UCA News reports that after two Hindu priests and their driver were murdered by a mob in Gadchindhali village in Maharashtra's Palghar district in April, Christians were quickly blamed for the killing despite no clear evidence that any believers were involved. The three individuals were on their way from Mumbai's Kandivili to Silvassa to attend a funeral when they were stopped by a vigilante group that was set up by locals to patrol during the night, the Times of India reported. After questioning the men they suspected of being kidnappers or robbers, the mob pelted stones at them and later beat them with sticks. Though police attempted to intervene, the mob killed the three travelers. The police have detained over 100 people and nine minors in connection with the lynching. Days later, Rakesh Sinha, a member of parliament from the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and a senior spokesperson for the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, claimed on national television that Christian missionaries and the Communist Party of India were behind the murders, UCA News reports. Without providing any evidence for his allegation,

On April 29, the Supreme Court of India ruled that medical schools run by religious minorities like Christians and Muslims do not have the right to admit medical degree students of their choice. The court said all medical schools should admit students based on their merit list obtained through the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in order to have a single unified admitting process. The constitution of India allows religious minorities to establish institutions and manage them for the betterment of their communities, which also gives them the right to admit students of their choice. The court mentioned that the constitutional right is "not violated by provisions for the uniform entrance examination to all medical educational institutions under undergraduate level and postgraduate level through such designated authority." For Christian leaders, the court order is limiting the rights of religious institutions as they cannot admit a student for a medical degree if he or she has not cleared the NEET. Father Paul Parathazham, director of St. John's Medical College in Bengaluru, told UCA News that medical colleges run by churches have their own eligibility examinations that are conducted in a transparent way to select students. After the court ruling, Father Parathazham admitted that such procedures are

Animists in central India last week told five Christian families they would lose their harvest lands unless they returned to their tribal religion and beat them when they refused, sources said. When the families answered a summons to a meeting with Salhephal village leaders in Bastar District, Chhattisgarh state on Tuesday (May 5), they found the tribal elders estimating the value of their lands, pastor Sirisguda Ramdhar told Morning Star News. The Christians had forbidden a tribal animist leader, Dulla Poyami, to perform tribal worship on their land, he said. “The village leaders told the Christians, ‘You are not partaking in our tribal rituals, and so we cannot allow you to profit from your agricultural lands,’” Pastor Ramdhar told Morning Star News. The Christians told them the lands were registered in their names, and that they were working hard to earn their bread, he said. “We follow our faith but have never been a burden on this village or to our kinsmen – you cannot snatch away our lands,” they told the tribal elders, according to the pastor. “Even before they spoke any word further, the elders stood up and stormed at Christians Madda Poyami and Badda Poyami,” he said. They began beating the two

May 13, 2020, Washington, DC. The Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA) and Save The Persecuted Christians (STPC) jointly sent a letter to President Trump and Mr. David Malpass, the President of World Bank Group raising concerns about the COIVD-19 related policies of the government of India and the deployment of 1 Billion US Dollars lent by the World Bank. The letter addresses several systemic flaws in the Hindu nationalist government's approach to the problem. We are concerned that millions of people are being left out of the programs meant to help the people during this crisis. Several reports indicate that religious minorities are being unfairly singled out by the government in many places as a part of pandemic response. Though Christians and other religious minorities are suffering due to government actions, they are not the only victims. Various sections of economically vulnerable people are greatly suffering due to these fundamentally flawed attitudes of Mr. Modi's Hindu nationalist government. Because the core constituents of the Hindu nationalist party are always religiously upper-caste Hindus, linguistically Hindi speaking, and economically middle class, government policies seem to be crafted for them instead of the whole population.The evidence of it was loud and clear last month when

Corruption and inadequacy of implementation has meant that some of the most vulnerable people have gone hungry since the lockdown. In Bhandariya block of Jharkhand’s Garhwa district, 76-year-old Lachhu Lohra sits alone. “My wife died without eating anything,” he says. Somaria Devi’s demise, on April 4, is the third starvation death in the state in April alone. Her family had not had anything to eat for three days before her death. There was nothing in the house.According to Census 2011, about 40% of Garhwa district’s population comprises people belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Of them, 8,611 families are categorised under the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) who are one of the most marginalised social groups in the state. Somariya Devi’s husband Lachhu Lohra. Photo: Author provided In addition to Garhwa, at least three more hunger-related deaths were reported from across the state in the lockdown period – differently-abled Meena Marandi in the Gomaria block of Bokaro district and Upasi Devi from the Gola block of the Ramgarh district. None of these families had a ration card. Also read: Six Charts Show That India Needs to (and Can Afford to) Universalise PDS The worsening hunger situation is not limited to a few families only. In socio-economically weaker

May 15, 2020. Washington DC. Within twenty-four hours of sending the letter to the World Bank expressing concerns over the way in which COVID 19 related funds, including the nature and functioning of a newly created “PM CARES FUND” in India are handled, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) went into a damage control mode and made a U-Turn by making few details public. A few weeks ago, the PMO refused to divulge any information on this mysterious “Prime Minister Cares” fund created in a hurry while there is “Prime Minister’s Relief Fund” already available for the same purposes. On Monday, May 11, Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations (FIACONA)  and Save the Persecuted Christians (STPC) sent a multifaith letter to the World Bank expressing concerns over how COVID 19 related funds are handled by the Indian government. Thirty-four different organizations signed it. The letter suggested the Bank to consider setting up an independent committee of eminent people in India to monitor the $ 1 Billion COVID 19 related relief package approved by the World Bank. On May 12, Tuesday night, the PMO reversed its position and issued a statement, saying the PM Cares Fund will spend $4.1 Billion (31,000 Crores Rupees) on COVID

When the Indian government announced the nationwide lockdown on March 24, millions of laborers across the country were left with no job, money or food to eat. Though the government arranged transportation for poor migrants stranded in different cities to go home, the number was few compared to the need. Therefore, thousands of migrant workers chose to walk hundreds of miles to reach their villages. For Archbishop of Bombay, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, it is "heart-breaking" to watch poor migrants with no wages, food or shelter trying to reach home on foot. It is a source of "immense sorrow," the Christian leader said. "Migrant workers, my people are without jobs, without food, without livelihood and security, without a roof over their heads, without hope, and they do not know what the future holds for them. This lockdown has pushed them into further deprivation and exclusion and poverty." Archbishop Gracias feels though the government, churches, NGOs and public are helping the laborers at the local level, the authorities fail to understand the helplessness of the migrant workers. He appealed to the people to have sympathy and work with better planning and coordination. "I'm praying to God to touch the hearts of all concerned to understand their plight, to

Officers pressured to accuse pastor, others of worship amid lockdown. A pastor and seven others putting relief packets together for the poor were assaulted by police who arrested them on a baseless allegation of gathering too many for worship amid the coronavirus lockdown in India, sources said. Pastor Ramesh Kumar, 32, along with Christians Shri Chand, Rakesh Kumar and Mohit Kumar, were preparing aid packets on April 25 for distribution to the poor in Kakrahia village, near Kotiya, Kaushambi District, Uttar Pradesh state, when police stormed in and detained them and four others helping them, the pastor said. “Before they detained us, the policemen used vulgar language and beat me, Rajendra and Rakesh with clubs,” Pastor Kumar told Morning Star News. “Rakesh sustained an injury on his hand and developed swelling because of the beating.” Police accused them of violating the lockdown with a worship meeting, and officers ignored the pastor’s plea to speak with the village head, who could explain that it was not a worship service, he said. India’s prime minister recently called on people to help feed poor families during the coronavirus lockdown, and the pastor told officers they were trying to answer that call. Police were reportedly

In December 2019, the UK-US based monitoring group Open Doors that publishes an annual World Watch List of 50 countries, ranked India 10th in the world where it is most dangerous to live as a Christian. The report states that political rhetoric and ambiguous interpretations of the Freedom of Religion Acts (or “anti-conversion” laws) are responsible for the high rate of Christian persecution in India. It is mentioned that the persecution of Christians has worsened steadily from 2014 onwards. These are also the times when more and more incidents of persecution of Christians are coming to the foreground of hate crimes in India. However, somehow these issues are not getting the required attention in the media, among the wider secular section as well as among the Christians themselves. In order to fill this gap Persecution Relief has been consistently documenting cases of hate crimes on the Christians in India, trying to build more awareness on the issue persecution of the Christians and to generate support for the survivors and the necessary advocacy on this issue. Persecution Relief is an interdenominational organization covering all denominations of the church and tries to build relations with likeminded individuals and organizations to find effective solutions for the increasing

The Federation of Indian American Christians (FIACONA) is pleased to learn that Pastor Bryan Nerren, of Shebyville, TN was allowed to return to the US by Modi government after confiscating his passport over 8 months ago.Washington DC, May 19, 2020. Pastor Nerren's passport was confiscated by Modi government citing minor customs related misunderstanding upon landing in NE India via Delhi. Though he cleared his customs formalities in Delhi, the immigration officials arrested him in Badogra, NE India on Oct 5, 2019.FIACONA had written to the President before he went to India in February 2020. Though the White House promised to work on the case, it took three additional months before the Modi government agreed to return Pastor Nerren's passport.Pastor Nerren is expected to arrive in Nashville TN around 9:30 PM