The vice-chancellor of a British-era university, a Christian, has been arrested in an alleged "attempt to murder" case and remanded in judicial custody in a northern Indian state. Rajendra Bihari Lal, the vice-chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences in Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on Dec. 31 after a complaint by Diwakar Nath Tripathi, a local leader of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). “This case is a trap” to arrest Lal as he successfully got bail in several other cases registered against him, an associate of his, who did not want to be named, told UCA News on Jan. 3. Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and is ruled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP, which enacted a stringent anti-conversion law in 2021 targeting mostly Christians. Many cases were registered against Lal under the anti-conversion law but he got bail from the courts. A police official at Naini police station in Prayagraj district where the latest complaint was registered said Tripathi stated in his complaint that two men who accompanied Lal in a vehicle opened fire at him while he was returning home from a morning walk. “I hope and pray that truth will triumph,” Lal's associate said, adding that he was being targeted "mostly because of his religion." He said the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition

Alappuzha: Kerala Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cheriyan strongly criticised Christian priests on Sunday for their alleged silence on the issue of Manipur violence during the Christmas programme organised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his official residence in New Delhi. Speaking after inaugurating a local committee office of his party CPI(M) in this coastal district, Cheriyan mocked certain bishops who attended the Prime Minister's programme, saying they got 'goosebumps' when BJP leaders invited them. He alleged that they forgot the issue of Manipur violence targeting their own community members when they were served with cakes and grape wine. "Did they urge the Indian Prime Minister to intervene in the matter?" the CPI(M) leader questioned. Stating that Christian community members were butchered in Manipur, Cheriyan also criticised certain Christian priests for still joining the BJP in Kerala. Neither the BJP nor the bishops have reacted to Cheriyan's allegations. During an interaction with the members of the Christian community at his residence on Christmas, Modi had heaped praise on the minority community for its role in the freedom movement and in various fields like healthcare and education, and said the country proudly acknowledges its contribution. Modi had said the values of compassion, inclusivity and justice for all propagated by

In a recent development in Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused supporters of the Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) of conducting cyber attacks against Christians who recently joined the party. This accusation follows the enrollment of around fifty Christian families, including Fr Shaiju Kurien, Secretary of the Orthodox Church Nilakkal Bhadrasanam in Pathanamthitta district in southern Kerala, who joined the BJP in the presence of Union Minister V Muraleedharan on Saturday (30 December). As reported by Onmanorama, BJP state president K Surendran expressed concern over the cyber attacks and issued a stern warning of robust retaliation against those responsible, emphasising the party's commitment to protecting its new members. The party had recently resumed its 'Sneha Yatra,' an outreach program aimed at connecting with the Christian community in the state. However, the BJP's move to engage with minority communities has drawn criticism from the Congress, which has accused the party of pursuing divisive strategies. This development underscores the evolving political landscape in Kerala, where the BJP is intensifying efforts to broaden its appeal among diverse demographics, particularly by fostering ties with the Christian community. This article is originally published on  https://swarajyamag.com/news-brief/bjp-accuses-congress-and-cpim-of-cyber-attacks-on-christians-joining-party-in-kerala-vows-strong-retaliation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has repeatedly claimed in public — including on the lawn of the White House in June — that India is not a hotbed of persecution or violence against religious minorities. “I’m actually really surprised that people say so. And so, people don’t say it. Indeed, India is a democracy,” Modi said while standing next to President Joe Biden during a visit to Washington this year. “We have always proved that democracy can deliver. And when I say deliver, this is regardless of caste, creed, religion, gender. There’s absolutely no space for discrimination.” In reality, Hindu nationalists organized mob attacks on Christian communities throughout the year, burning down churches and often destroying entire neighborhoods, leaving Christians displaced. The worst of the violence in 2023 occurred in Manipur, northern India, where members of the majority Hindu Meitei tribe went on a rampage against majority Christian Kuki-Zo communities throughout the spring and summer, often filming their atrocities. Modi’s government did not comment on the matter until a video went viral in the rest of the country showing a mob of presumably Meitei men raping Christian women in broad daylight and parading them naked through the streets. “The police were there with the mob which was attacking our village,” one

Persecution against Christians is expected to rise in several countries in the coming year, according to Release International. The organisation's new Persecution Trends report, released this week, warns of an intensfication of persecution in a number of countries, including Nigeria, India, Pakistan and China in 2024. Nigeria has suffered one of its worst Christmases after 160 were killed in a series of attacks in Plateau State between 23 December and Christmas Day. Morning Star News reports that the dead include church members and pastors, while hundreds of homes have been destroyed. Release International's Nigeria partner confirmed the reports. They said, "We are deeply saddened by these incidents and condemn these killings and attacks on innocent Christians during their worship." The Persecution Trends report predicts that persecution in Nigeria will rise in 2024. Attacks on Christian communities by jihadists are "dispossessing them of their lands by destroying their food supplies and forcing them to convert or flee". These attacks are expected to continue next year. Release CEO Paul Robinson is calling on the worldwide Church to pray for Christians in Nigeria. He also wants the Nigerian government "to take decisive and effective action to protect its vulnerable communities". "Our hearts go out to beleaguered Christians in Nigeria. We

BENGALURU: Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for hosting Christmas celebrations at his residence in New Delhi, Bengaluru Archbishop Dr Peter Machado suggested that the PM should also look into many pressing issues of the Christian community. In a letter to the PM, Dr Machado on Thursday said, “Christmas 2023 was special for Christians in India as PM Modi invited representatives of Christians in New Delhi to his own house on Christmas Day. To take positively forward Modiji’s Christmas message of peace and goodwill, it would be an excellent move on his part to address the concerns of the Christian community by taking into confidence Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, and Religious and Lay leaders of the community. Instances of hate speeches against Christians, attacks on churches and institutions, and promulgation of anti-conversion laws in more and more states have led to deprivation and usurpation of the constitutional rights of Christians, which can be best handled by the Prime Minister’s Office with timely interventions. We all look up to the Prime Minister to give a soothing touch to the burning problem of Manipur, which may be an ethnic issue, but has left deep scars on the Christian community

NEW DELHI: A group of activists and representatives of Christian community on Thursday said it is an irony that the year which saw churches being burnt in Manipur is ending with Prime Minister Narendra Modi felicitating leaders of the minority community. At a press conference here, civil society activists Apoorvanand, John Dayal, Shabnam Hashmi, Minakshi Singh, Mary Scaria and A C Michael said that through the year, the Christian community had been pleading with the prime minister to visit Manipur, which has been engulfed in ethnic violence. They alleged that the prime minister perhaps could not find the time to visit Manipur and left it to the Union home minister and the chief minister to handle the situation. More than 200 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 rendered homeless in ethnic violence between the majority Meitei community and the tribal Kukis since early May. The majority of Kukis, who live in the hill districts of Manipur, are Christians. In a statement, the activists said, "Civil Society and the Christian community in India note the irony of the year 2023 where summer began with the burning of churches and the killing of Christians in the valley of Imphal in Manipur, and ends with religious

Agartala: A day after a rally was taken out to press for the passage of an anti-conversion law to protect indigenous faiths and culture by a right wing-backed tribal organisation Janajati Surakha Mancha (JSM), Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, founder and leader of the state's main opposition party, TIPRA Motha, on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the tribal leaders who demanded delisting Christians from ST status. Besides criticising the organisers, including Padma Shri Bikram Bahadur Jamatia who has been fighting against the conversion of tribals to Christianity since the late 90s during the peak of insurgency, Pradyot said he would embrace everyone with love and compassion to counter the narrative of hatred being spread by some people. "If someone gets an award from the Centre, it doesn't necessarily mean the person has to fully surrender himself before the central government. You shouldn't forget that you were born in this society. Your existence is possible because of this Tiprasa (tribal) community," Pradyot said. He pointed out that he would counter the narrative of hatred with his two principal weapons - love and compassion. "Those who want to create conflict within the Tiprasa people may continue with their slogan, but in the New

In a move that threatens to heighten communal tensions, the Janajati Dharma Sanskriti Suraksha Manch (JSM), an affiliate of the pro-Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has announced its intention to stage a protest rally on Christmas Day in Agartala, the capital of Tripura. The focus of their demonstration is a call for the removal of welfare benefits for tribal people who have converted to Christianity or Islam, asserting that these religions are of foreign origin. The JSM argues that individuals who have embraced these faiths should be eliminated from the official Scheduled Tribes (STs) list. The central argument put forth by the JSM is that converted tribal individuals no longer adhere to traditional customs, advocating for their exclusion from the ST category. This move would deny them crucial benefits such as education, job quotas and other welfare advantages granted under India’s affirmative action programs. Santi Bikash Chakma, the convener of JSM’s Tripura unit, made the organisation's stance clear during a press conference, stating, “We will organise a massive rally at the Swami Vivekananda Ground on December 25, demanding the delisting of converted people from ST status by amending constitutional provisions.” Chakma emphasised that the JSM is not against any religion but advocates for the

“All community members should not use the term Hindu for describing their religion in the next census. They should shun names of sub-castes. They should only use terms Veerashaiva or Lingayat to describe themselves. This is for the good of society and to tell the world about the specific numbers of our community,” resolution number 5 has said. The other resolutions include a demand for a fresh caste census. The State government should not accept the Kantharaj report. The socio-economic survey of the various communities or caste census in the State is eight years old and its contents are believed to have been leaked. A fresh census should be conducted scientifically and it should enumerate social, educational and economic status of all castes, including the sub-castes of the Veerashaiva Lingayat groups. The rally urged the State government to send a proposal to the Union government recommending Central OBC status to all sub-communities of Veerashaiva Lingayats. “This will help the millions of community members who live in poverty,” a resolution said. The State government should declare Basavanna to be the cultural leader of the State. His ideology is eternally relevant to the world, the mahasabha said. The mahasabha also passed a resolution to support all agitations