New Delhi (AsiaNews) – “I am also aware of the overt and covert attacks on the Christians in many parts of our country,” said Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore and president of the Karnataka Catholic Bishops' Conference (KRCBC), speaking about the escalation of sectarian violence against the Christian minority, both against it religious practices as well as its symbols and buildings. This follows recent reporting from the United Christian Forum for Human Rights (UCFHR) about attacks against Christians in different parts of India, most notably in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. “The attacks and persecutions are now not restricted to religious factors alone, but are also being extended to religious, social and educational institutions as well, as also burial grounds,” the prelate explained. “The intolerance, the discrimination, and the hate speeches are hurting. The silence, and at times, the complicity of the government machinery is baffling.” The warning by the archbishop of Bangalore stems from at least five cases of violence and violations of religious freedom documented by Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), between 13 and 20 October in several Indian states. The first incident was reported on 13 October in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where the police broke up a prayer meeting after a complaint

A Muslim protest leader has become a symbol of a wide-ranging clampdown on opponents of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The family gathers around the laptop in New Delhi once a week. Sometimes, relatives dial in from north India, or even the United States. They wait for Umar Khalid, 37, an Indian political activist, to appear on the screen from jail. “How are you, Ammi?” Mr. Khalid boomed one recent day, addressing his mother, Sabiha Khanam. “Everyone get in the frame, please,” he urged when he was unable to see a face but could hear a familiar voice. In early 2020, Mr. Khalid became one of the most prominent figures of India’s biggest and most energized protests in a generation, a three-month outpouring of opposition to government proposals widely seen as anti-Muslim. He was arrested later that year, and he has now languished in jail for four years without a trial, making him a symbol of the wide-ranging suppression of dissent under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It continues unabated even with Mr. Modi’s reduced mandate after elections in the spring. To silence opponents like Mr. Khalid, Mr. Modi’s government has increasingly turned to a draconian state security law that in the past was used only to

The event between November 14 and November 17 is set to be held by churches in Patharda and its neighbouring Ghoda village in Songadh taluka. Invitations have been sent out to Tapi, Surat, Valsad, Dangs, Narmada and Bharuch, among other areas, as per people in the know. Weeks before the Christian community is scheduled to hold a four-day religious gathering in Tapi, the Dev Birsa Sena on Tuesday raised an objection against the event in a memorandum submitted to Additional Collector RR Borad. The outfit claimed the gathering will see religious conversion of tribals. The organisers have refuted such claims. The event between November 14 and November 17 is set to be held by churches in Patharda and its neighbouring Ghoda village in Songadh taluka. Invitations have been sent out to Tapi, Surat, Valsad, Dangs, Narmada and Bharuch, among other areas, as per people in the know. In its memorandum, tribal outfit Dev Birsa Sena stated, “A majority of the residents of Tapi district are tribals and those who had been converted to Christianity are not found on the government records. If there are no Christian tribals (as per the government records), than why such a religious event of Christian has been organised

Two Hindu nationalist organizations are trying to stop two large public Christian conventions scheduled to take place in different provinces of the Central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal have submitted appeals to the police and district administrative officials, warning that unless the conventions are canceled, authorities will be responsible for any subsequent communal disturbances. While the VHP is demanding the cancelation of a large November convention organized by Paul Dinakaran, a well-known Pentecostal preacher from South India in the southern Bastar district, the Bajrang Dal is seeking to stop Pastor Bajinder from New Delhi, famous for his healing crusades, from leading a gathering later this month in Bhilai, in the northern part of Chhattisgarh. In its memorandum to authorities in Bastar, the VHP described Dinakaran as a criminal and called his program damaging to the district’s cultural and religious fabric. The VHP also alleged that foreign Christian missionaries are influencing the cultural identity of Bastar, a sensitive tribal-dominated area, through forced conversions. The Bajrang Dal, meanwhile, has alleged that Pastor Bajinder, through healing and prayer events, influences the conversions of poor and vulnerable families. The organization has stated it will go to any extent to stop Bajinder’s two-day event

In recent times, India has been witnessing a dangerous shift where religious minorities, particularly Christians, are increasingly subjected to targeted violence. What once were isolated incidents have now become systematic assaults driven by far-right Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. These groups accuse Christians of converting Hindus under coercion or deceit, a claim which has little to no basis but is often used to justify violent attacks. The hostility against the Christian community is further exacerbated by the complicity of the state machinery, where the police, instead of protecting the vulnerable, are either passive spectators or active participants in these acts of persecution. The United Christian Forum (UCF), which monitors hate crimes against Christians, noted that violence against the community has seen an alarming rise. In 2023, as per their report, over 687 incidents of violence were documented against Christians, depicting that an average of two Christians is attacked every day in India. The UCF report had contained incidents ranging from vandalism of churches to outright harassment and detention of Christians for holding prayer meetings. The issue has taken a political turn, with laws such as the anti-conversion legislation—present in several states—being used as tools

On Wednesday, Kerala state Education Minister Prof C Ravindranath, informed the legislative assembly of figures that show how the new generation is leaving the religion or caste columns blank during admission in school or college. According to an article by Mirror Now, Prof Ravindranath stressed on how the number of students enrolling in schools and colleges in Kerala leaving their religion or caste column blank is increasing with every academic year. Students who left caste and religion column As many as 1,24,144 students who secured admission to classes 1 to 12 in schools during the 2017-18 academic year in the State have left the caste and religion columns blank. "In the latest academic year at least 124, 144 students between class and 1 and 12 stated they had no religion or caste. Every year their numbers are growing," said the education minister while appreciating the positive change in the minds of India's young. Meanwhile, education department officials admit that they had no contribution towards driving this positive change since there is nothing that they can do if the parents of a child say that they follow no religion. However, all students who have secured admission to Vocational Higher Secondary Education (VHSE) courses in the State during

In recent times, India has been witnessing a dangerous shift where religious minorities, particularly Christians, are increasingly subjected to targeted violence. What once were isolated incidents have now become systematic assaults driven by far-right Hindu groups such as the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. These groups accuse Christians of converting Hindus under coercion or deceit, a claim which has little to no basis but is often used to justify violent attacks. The hostility against the Christian community is further exacerbated by the complicity of the state machinery, where the police, instead of protecting the vulnerable, are either passive spectators or active participants in these acts of persecution. The United Christian Forum (UCF), which monitors hate crimes against Christians, noted that violence against the community has seen an alarming rise. In 2023, as per their report, over 687 incidents of violence were documented against Christians, depicting that an average of two Christians is attacked every day in India. The UCF report had contained incidents ranging from vandalism of churches to outright harassment and detention of Christians for holding prayer meetings. The issue has taken a political turn, with laws such as the anti-conversion legislation—present in several states—being used as tools

Christians in India are increasingly finding that the world’s largest democracy — and recently the world’s largest country overall — is no friend to religious freedom. India is often celebrated as the world’s most populous democracy. Though true, this factoid does little to protect the millions of non-Hindu religious minorities that call India home. In recent years, religious freedom in the country has rapidly deteriorated in a slide led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the large cohort of Hindu nationalists he encourages and leads. Population: 1.4 billion (2023 estimate) Religions: Hindu 79.8% or about 1.1 billion; Muslim 14.2% or about 199 million; Christian 2.3% or about 32 million* Ethnicities: Indo-Aryan 72%; Dravidian 25%; other 3% *Official 2011 U.S. Government estimate. Various legal barriers to conversion likely inflate the official number of Hindus and deflate the number of religious minorities. Types of Persecution Mob Violence — Communal-level groups violently harass and attack Christian churches and pastors in remote areas of the country. Government Abuse — In a dozen states around the country, laws claiming to prohibit forced conversions criminalize sharing the gospel. Barriers to Conversion — Across India, the government prohibits poor Christians and Muslims from receiving government benefits available to similarly-situated Hindus, creating a very real barrier to

A Church delegation has urged a federal government-appointed panel to extend India’s affirmative action benefits to socially poor Dalit Christians, whose ancestors were considered untouchable in the country's caste-based society. A 15-member Church delegation met a commission headed by retired chief justice of India K. G. Balakrishnan and apprised "it about the plight of our Dalit Christian brothers and sisters,” said Father Anthony Raj Thumma, a delegation member. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in 2022 appointed a three-member commission to study if Dalit people who have converted to Christianity and Islam can be given social welfare benefits enjoyed by Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs belonging to Dalit communities. “The commission patiently listened to us and sought several clarifications from us,” Father Thumma, secretary of the Indian bishops' Office for Ecumenism, told UCA News on Oct. 14. Thumma said the Church delegation, led by Montfort Brother Jos Daniel, met the commission on Oct. 12 in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum expressing their concerns. Out of India’s 1.4 billion people, 201 million belong to the Dalit community, and nearly 60 percent of India’s 25 million Christians trace their origin to Dalit and tribal communities. The Dalits were considered outside the four-tier caste system and untouchable. A 1955 law

Religious freedom conditions worsened considerably in India this year—particularly in the months prior to and immediately following a national election. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom offered that assessment in an October update on India that provided an overview of religious freedom violations occurring in 2024. “In addition to the enforcement of discriminatory state-level legislation and propagation of hateful rhetoric, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government made a concerted effort to implement election promises that negatively and disproportionately impacted religious minorities and their ability to practice their faith,” the commission report states. From January to March, 161 reported incidents of violence against Christians in India occurred. They ranged from violent attacks on churches and prayer meetings to physical assault, harassment and false allegations of forced conversions. “In March, a group of U.N. experts raised alarm about the level of violence and hate crimes against religious minorities in the leadup to the national elections, including vigilante violence, targeted and arbitrary killings, demolition of property and harassment,” the commission report states. Anti-conversion laws target minorities Local authorities in 12 of India’s 28 states use anti-conversion laws—often punishable by significant fines and prison terms— to target religious minorities, the commission report notes. “Since the beginning of the year,