Invoking the alleged official Indian hand in the assassination an overseas Khalistani militant and plots to extend such killings -- even before any culpability has been established in the matter -- a US religious freedom watchdog has called on the Biden administration to designate India as a "country of particular concern" and sanctions under the US Religious Freedom Act. In its annual report earlier this year, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal government commission, had already recommended that the administration impose targeted sanctions on Indian government agencies and officials responsible for "severe violations of religious freedom by freezing those individuals’ assets and/ or barring their entry into the United States." It pushed the case again on Friday, saying, “The Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States are deeply troubling, and represent a severe escalation of India’s efforts to silence religious minorities and human rights defenders both within its country and abroad." USCIRF Commissioner Stephen Schneck said in a statement that the Commission is "alarmed by India’s increased transnational targeting of religious minorities and those advocating on their behalf." Recent efforts

The Supreme Court today (15.5.2023) directed the State of Manipur to furnish to the court appointed committee steps it had taken to restore the places of worship which had been destructed in the ethnic violence. The bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra also recorded the assurance given by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta that necessary steps would be taken so that all those in relief camps could celebrate the upcoming festival of Christmas Senior Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for Meitei Christian Churches Council, submitted that the court-appointed committee for rehabilitation in the State headed by Justice Gita Mittal had made certain recommendations to restore the places of worship and requested the court to accept the same. Ahmadi clarified that the relief was sought regarding places of worship of all communities and not confined to any particular religion. The CJI asked–"What is being done by State to protect the places of worship that were vandalised? What is the state doing to restore?" To this, ASG Bhati submitted that the State of Manipur had filed a detailed affidavit as per which the process of identification of destroyed places of worship and subsequent securing of the same had already been done.

In many parts of India, anti-Christian sentiment is getting worse among those influenced by the ‘Hindutva’ persuasion that says all Indians must be Hindus. This ideology leads to violent mobs attacking Christians, as well as their churches, homes and businesses. Last week, several worshippers were severely injured in a brutal attack. Pastor Rajendra has been in service to his congregation for several years. He confirms that the constant pressure from Hindu nationalists who request him to shut down the church due to “conversion activities” is becoming more severe. Following the attack, Pastor Rajendra was forced to close the church. He also filed a written complaint to authorities, but they did not process it, and the assaulters were not even reprimanded. The Pastor said that, unfortunately, this is common in Chhattisgarh. The latest incident is one of more than 100 instances of violence against Christians in the area in 2023. Based on reports from the United Christian Forum, there have been more than 143 episodes of brutality against Christians in Chhattisgarh, with more than 35 occasions of social boycotting and 20 incidents of not allowing Christians to bury the dead bodies of their family members. Chhattisgarh ranked second in the most persecuted states

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday lashed out against the Uttar Pradesh police in connection with the arrest of a couple in Ghaziabad for allegedly engaged in conversion of people into Christianity. “Why can’t the Govt tell these lumpens that when this kind of thing keeps happening, it brings disgrace to our country?: Christian pastor, wife, arrested in Ghaziabad after mob makes conversion allegations,” Tharoor tweeted. Santhosh John Abraham and his wife Jiji, hailing from Kerala, were arrested from their residence in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh following a complaint by two residents of Kanawani village. According to some reports, the complainants are active workers of Hindutva group Bajrang Dal. They were arrested under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. As per the FIR, they were luring poor people to convert for the last two-and-half decades and had also taken a big hall for prayers. ACP Indirapuram Swatantra Singh said the duo was enticing the deprived people of the society to adopt Christianity. During interrogation, Abrahim told police that he works as a priest at Sharon Fellowship Church of Kerala and is living here since 1996. UP police said that the pastor had confessed to brainwashing the backward Hindus. Over two dozen persons were contacted for conversion,