The religious freedom charity Release International says a rise in attacks against Christians in India is ‘deeply alarming’ and it fears there is a denial in India about the increase in anti-Christian violence. It says the attacks have been fuelled by right-wing nationalism, while growing numbers of Christians are being arrested under anti-conversion laws. The United Christian Forum (UCF) has recorded 525 violent attacks to the end of August, more than for the entire previous year in which there were 505 recorded incidents. The UCF says attacks are rising ‘not just year-on-year, but month-on-month’. UCF says the growing violence follows the passing of sweeping anti-conversion laws in almost 40 per cent of India's 28 states. Most of those states are governed by the ruling nationalist BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Anti-conversion laws supposedly target conversion by force or allurement. But their loose wording means any kind of charitable work could be considered a form of bribery. Congregations accused of forced conversion have had their buildings ransacked and property destroyed. Human Rights Watch (HRW) claim these laws are often misused by police to target Christians, particularly from the Dalit or Adivasi communities. The United Christian Forum says 520 Christians have now been arrested and

TWO inquiries into attacks on Christians and other minority faith communities in India have reported growing violence, and increasing numbers arrested under anti-conversion laws introduced in states governed by the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The United Christian Forum (UCF) has recorded 525 violent incidents in India this year, in the eight months to August: a rise of 45 per cent since 2022. It also recorded 520 Christians arrested and accused of forced conversions, including a couple arrested at their wedding, along with the pastor, after it was alleged that the wedding was a “conversion event”. The UCF is a coalition of Christian organisations which advocates on behalf of religious minorities. The UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, told the US Commission on Religious Freedom, which is carrying out one of the inquiries: “India risks becoming one of the world’s main generators of instability, atrocities, and violence, because of the massive scale and gravity of the violations and abuses targeting mainly religious and other minorities such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs. . . It is systematic and a reflection of religious nationalism.” The Washington-based Indian American Muslim Council said in its latest report that Muslims and Christians were facing targeted attacks and hate crimes in India, including demolition

New Delhi, Separate parliamentary and legislative seats, land for cemeteries and scholarships are among 20 demands Christian groups in Telangana have put forward to political parties in the southern Indian state. The Telangana State Federation of Churches, Telangana Council of Churches and Synod of Telangana, representing the entire Christian community in the state, had met in the state capital of Hyderabad early October and decided to ask the parties to include their demands in their manifestos as the state gets ready for the November 30 assembly elections. The demands are important enough to be added in the manifestos of political parties, said Montfort Brother Varghese Theckanath, who was in a delegation that met Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal in New Delhi on October 12 to hand over the Telangana Christians declarations for political parties. “We are presenting this to all political leaders,” the brother told Matters India October 14. Father Raju Alex, deputy secretary of Telugu Catholic Bishops’ Council, told the Deccan Chronicle daily that the Christian community has always lacked the government’s encouragement and support. “The Christian community has a good chunk of voters in Telangana. We will support the parties which stand for us,” he added. The community wants political parties to give two

Purnomoy Chakma and Tarun Chakma, who were excommunicated after converting along with their families, moved the court accusing the two Buddhist organisations of persecuting them The Tripura high court has ordered police and the administration to intervene and make arrests if required over the persecution of two Buddhist families for converting to Christianity in November last year. Purnomoy Chakma and Tarun Chakma, who were excommunicated after converting along with their families in Unakoti, moved the court accusing the two Chakma organisations of persecuting, threatening, putting their livelihood at risk, and confining them to their homes. Purnomoy Chakma, a daily wager, said he was being denied work and that he earlier worked under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Tarun Chakma, an auto-rickshaw driver, said Chakma organisations issued a diktat for his boycott and threatened up to 40,000 as a fine if anybody hired his auto. He said he had taken a loan to buy the auto-rickshaw and also a personal loan to meet his expenses. The petitioners said they were prevented from attending prayers at a church and that Buddhist Chakmas have asked people not to interact with them or else they would be fined and punished according to their customary law. The

Attacks against Christians are rising, fuelled by right-wing nationalism, while growing numbers of Christians are being arrested under anti-conversion laws.  Two investigations are underway into the alarming rise in attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in India. The United Christian Forum (UCF) has recorded 525 violent attacks to the end of August, more than for the entire previous year. The UCF say attacks are rising ‘not just year-on-year, but month-on-month’. Investigations are being carried out by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the Indian government’s Minorities Commission. UCF has recorded 525 violent incidents across 23 Indian states to August this year. This is a sharp increase on the figure of 505 attacks for the whole of 2022, suggesting an annualised rise of more than 45 per cent. Anti-conversion laws UCF says the growing violence follows the passing of sweeping anti-conversion laws in almost 40 per cent of India’s 28 states. Most of those states are governed by the ruling nationalist BJP. And UCF say the number of attacks against Christians has risen significantly since Premier Narendra Modi’s BJP took power in 2014. Anti-conversion laws supposedly target conversion by force or allurement. But the loose wording means any kind of charitable work could be

 India (International Christian Concern) — Pro-Hindu political leaders in Uttar Pradesh, India have been emboldened by upcoming state elections, resulting in increased attacks and imprisonments against Christians.  Anti-conversion laws fuel the incidents. Believers are charged with forcing their neighbors to reject Hinduism and turn to Jesus — charges that often lead to years in prison.  Since these laws were put into place at the end of 2020, nearly 400 believers have been charged and jailed. Each month, this number exponentially increases, with 50 added in September. The Indian government calls it the ‘Freedom of Religion Act,’ yet it is anything but free.   Not surprising the morale of the Indian church is at an all-time low. Pastors have halted large gatherings, choosing instead to meet in smaller groups in member homes. Even then, Christians do not feel safe.   Earlier this month, one of these home gatherings was invaded by radical Hindus. The home was looted and destroyed, leaving the believers wondering when they would be next in line for prison time.   Please continue to pray for India, especially the states that are approaching elections. The climate is increasingly dangerous for followers of Christ, and it shows no signs of improvement.    This article is originally published on  https://www.persecution.org/2023/10/13/number-of-christians-jailed-in-india-rises-as-local-elections-near/

The son of a pastor, who was harassed and detained the previous week at the complaint of Hindu extremists on allegations of carrying out forced conversions in a village in Uttar Pradesh, was beaten at an open food joint on September 29 by the food joint owner and a staff member. Bipin Kumar, 25, accompanied a friend to Gagan Dhaba (a food joint) around 2 in the afternoon, in Semrahana village in Mihinpurwa block of Bahraich district. The friend, who belonged to a priestly caste according to the Hindu caste system, ordered his food first and then Kumar proceeded to order tea at the counter. The food joint owner asked Kumar about his caste. Though shocked at his question, Kumar answered him. “I told him that I am a lower caste (in Hindi – Chamar – which is one of the lowest castes under the Hindu caste system),” Kumar told Christian Today. The owner further asked, “’Whom do you worship?’ To which I said that I am a Christian and I worship the Lord Jesus Christ,” Kumar added. The owner began to argue with Kumar about the preaching techniques of pastors and how Christians allegedly allure people to convert. Kumar asked the owner, "How does my

CHENNAI: When there is a debate on whether the dalit converted Christians should be included in scheduled castes or should be treated as OBCS, the Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam on Thursday demanded that the Tamil Nadu government not extend the scholarship meant for dalit students to dalit converted Christians. President of the Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam Ilamurugu Muthu submitted a petition to adi dravidar welfare minister N Kayalvizhi Selvaraj demanding that the state government not extend to OBSS the benefits accorded to dalits. "The state government is implementing the post-matric scholarship scheme for scheduled caste students but has Included the dalit converted Christians in the scholarship scheme. 20.01% of funds is allotted for dalit students and it is not meant for OBCs. Spending the funds allotted for dalite to BCS is illegal," Ilamurugu told TOI. He also said that when dalits get converted into Christianity, they become OBCs and they have 30% reservation. "If they are extended the benefits under post matric scholarship scheme, they have chances of availing benefits under the OBC reservation too and so the state government should strictly restrict the benefits only to SC students," said Ilamurugu. Leaders like VCK Thol Thirumavalavan, however, differ from the stand and argue that dalits face

A study of 101 FIRs registered under the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 showed that more than half were in response to complaints by third parties, which means they may have no legal standing and should not have been registered by the police. Most of the third parties were Hindutva outfits that were using the law to harass Christians, while the police registered cut-copy-paste FIRs based on “prior information” and saying “bad things” about the Hindu religion. Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: More than half of all first information reports (FIRs) alleging forced conversion to Christianity in Uttar Pradesh (UP) have no legal standing and should never have been registered by the police, an Article 14 study of 101 FIRs has revealed. Sixty-two percent of FIRs (63 of 101) alleging such conversion to Christianity are registered in response to complaints by third parties (other than the accused or victim), including Hindutva outfits, such as Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), contrary even to the provisions of the state’s controversial law on the subject. Section 4 of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021 makes it clear who can complain: “Any aggrieved

Five Christian residents of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh were recently rushed to the hospital for treatment of injuries received in an attack by radical Hindu nationalists.   Local sources said the attack was an attempt to ‘reconvert’ Christians to their earlier Hindu faith. Thirty believers were summoned to the village center and asked to renounce their newfound Christian faith. When they refused, the Hindu nationalists attacked and beat them with rods and clubs.   An ambulance was called but the mob initially refused to let it through. Five victims were eventually transported to the hospital and the others were chased away. Christians in this community have faced ongoing harassment. On multiple occasions leading up to this event, believers were threatened with violence by their neighbors to stop praying to Jesus. Christians remained strong in their faith, however, refusing to deny Christ in the face of opposition.   A Christian leader in the community who requested anonymity said, “The attacks against Christians have increased sharply in the last several weeks, as the state will soon hold regional elections. It is saddening that Christians must suffer violence in the name of religion simply because a politician wants to gain power.”   Chhattisgarh is one of the 11 Indian states