Report: Religious Persecution Against India’s Christians Has Nearly Doubled
A new report confirms the persecution of India's Christians is rising and nearly doubling since from last year. The New-Delhi based United Christian Forum (UCF) keeps track of violence against believers and found there were 400 incidences in the first half of the year in 23 states in India. Comparatively, there were only 274 incidences during this same period last year. "The government data downplays the severity of the situation," said A.C. Michael, the UCF's national coordinator. The report highlighted Uttar Pradesh as one of the leading states in religious persecution against Christians with 155 incidences total. June saw the highest number of violent attacks with 88 cases, which translates into three per day, the group reported. "Violence in the northeastern state of Manipur has been raging for over two months and hundreds of churches and many precious lives have been lost," UCF said. Over the last two months, ethnic clashes in Manipur have led to the death of more than 100 people dead and the destruction of nearly 400 churches. As CBN News has reported, the violence was sparked over plans by the government to give privileged status to the Hindu majority Meitei community in the Imphal Valley region. The Kuki community, who reside on the hills
At least 400 acts of violence committed against Christians in India in first half of 2023: report
The first half of 2023 has seen a surge in violence against Christians across 23 states in India, according to a New Delhi-based human rights group, which identified 400 incidents, up from 274 reported over the same period last year. The majority of these violent acts occurred in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, with 155 incidents, according to the report released by the United Christian Forum and shared with The Christian Post. Chhattisgarh ranked second with 84 cases, followed by Jharkhand with 35, and Haryana with 32. The districts of Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh and Bastar in Chhattisgarh reported the most cases of violence, with 13 and 31 incidents, respectively. According to UCF’s findings, the number of violent incidents against Christians has been rising steadily in India since 2014, with a significant spike observed in 2021 and 2022. The group also noted in its statement that the month of June saw the highest number of attacks against the Christian community, averaging three incidents per day. The UCF expressed grave concerns over the situation in the northeastern state of Manipur, where the ongoing violence has resulted in the loss of at least 130 lives and caused the destruction of over 400 churches. Amid these atrocities, the
Over 400 anti-Christian attacks in 2023 alone: report
A report by the United Christian Forum slams the government’s denial of rising attacks on Christians and calls for an independent probe. The United Christian Forum (UCF), an organisation that compiles data on atrocities against Christians in India, has expressed its discontent with the Centre’s response to a crucial petition in the Supreme Court. On April 13, the Centre had informed the Supreme Court that the claims of rising attacks were fabricated to maintain an “exaggerated” and misleading narrative. “The government data downplays the severity of the situation,” stated A.C. Michael, the UCF’s national coordinator. The UCF has filed a petition with the apex court, decrying the increasing number of attacks and false police cases against minority community members, a trend coinciding with the enactment of anti-conversion laws in multiple States. Michael further explained, “Our advocate, Colin Gonsalves, submitted an interim prayer to the court on July 10, requesting the appointment of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising retired IPS officers. This SIT would examine the lists provided by both parties to establish the facts.” He added that the government’s list is biased against the Christian community and argued that the government and the police are relying on baseless claims from third
Manipur Violence: Supreme Court grants interim protection in sedition case against lawyer who accompanied fact-finding team
The lawyer moved the Court contending that the FIR was based a press release that she did not sign, and that the contents of the said press release were not seditious. The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim protection to a lawyer who was charged with sedition after she accompanied a fact-finding team to enquire into the recent violence in Manipur [Deeksha Dwivedi v. State of Manipur & Anr]. The Court ordered that no coercive action be taken against the lawyer, advocate Deeksha Dwivedi. The interim order was passed after the matter was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra by Senior Advocate Siddhartha Dave. In her plea before the top court, Dwivedi submitted that she had accompanied a two-woman team from the National Investigation Forum for Women (NIFW) as an independent lawyer and observer. The NIFW team is stated to have concluded that certain violent incidents in Manipur were State-sponsored. A press conference was held at Imphal on July 1 after the enquiry, and a press release was also issued on the team's findings. Following this, a first information report (FIR) was registered against Dwivedi and NIFW representatives for sedition, defamation, making assertions
Majority Hindu Tribe in India’s Manipur Blockades Christian Tribes to Starve Them Out
The Times of India (TOI) reported on Monday that a blockade on food and medical supplies by the valley-dwelling Hindu majority of the Manipur province is starving the hill-dwelling Kuki Christian tribes, thousands of whom have been displaced from their homes into refugee camps. Manipur has been torn by violent ethnic conflict since May when the Meitei launched a petition to acquire the same preferences in employment and land ownership that are extended to the Kuki and other minority groups in the province. This enraged the tribal residents as the Meitei are much larger and better off than other ethnic groups, and they occupy most of the good lowlands in Manipur. Ethnic grievances erupted into violent assault and vandalism, and Manipur became a hot topic in Indian politics as opposition leaders accused the ruling BJP party of not doing enough to restore peace, perhaps because BJP has a Hindu nationalist platform and favors the Meitei villagers. The Kukis and Meiteis both created highway blockades to deprive each other of resources, a tactic that has been used in previous ethnic clashes because there are few good roads leading into the rough terrain of Manipur. Blockades during a Kuki-Meitei struggle in 2011 effectively cut the
Church seeks apology from Indian Communist leader
"Church groups in southern Indian Kerala state have sought an apology from a top Communist party leader for allegedly denigrating the life of Catholic nuns. The Pastoral Council of Irinjalakuda diocese in Kerala has passed a resolution, condemning the recent statements of M V Govindan, the state secretary of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist). Govindan, at a public function in Kannur district, said the religious life of Catholic nuns has become a profession as nuns in England are protesting for better wages. The Communist leader visited the United Kingdom recently and was sharing his experiences at the inauguration of a new civic house building. Churches in England had been put up for sale as Christians no longer visit them, Govindan said. Churches "have turned into pubs as youngsters in England do not go to church,” he added. But “Christians from different denominations who migrated to the UK from Kerala still keep going to churches and are looking for their independent churches there,” he said. The pastoral council in its July 8 resolution asked Govindan to tender an unconditional apology and withdraw his statements. The council asked the party leader not to worry about the Church and instead look into the drastic decline of the communist parties in
Tribal Christian Is Beheaded, 3 Are Shot Dead in Manipur, India
India's Supreme Court has called on the government in the northeastern state of Manipur to provide an updated status report on the situation in the region after a tribal Christian was beheaded and three others were shot dead. On Sunday, a man identified as David Thiek was beheaded in Langza, a tribal village in the district of Churachandpur, home to Kuki-Zo tribes, as reported by First Post. One resident told the outlet that Thiek was one of several village volunteers who protected the village from looters as other residents fled from danger. In addition to Thiek's death, three others, identified as 34-year-old Ningombam Ibomcha, 26-year-old Naorem Rajkumar and 44-year-old Haobam Ibocha, were fatally shot in Manipur's Bishnupur district at the border with the hill district of Churachandpur. The news comes amid an ongoing conflict between the majority Hindu Meiteis and Kuki-Zomi tribes that began on May 3. So far, at least 137 people have been killed in the conflict, The Christian Post reports. India's Supreme Court is considering two petitions regarding the violence. One petition was filed by Manipur Tribal Forum Delhi and seeks protection for the majority Christian Kuki tribe by the Indian army. The second petition seeks to challenge a High Court directive to
Indian American Christians Discuss the Plight of Christian Community in Manipur, Offer Prayers for Peace
Hosted by the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA), the Indian Christian Day event in New York celebrated Indian heritage and Christian spirit. Indian American Christians from the greater New York area came together on July 2 to observe Indian Christian Day and to pray for members of the community in Manipur, who are facing calamity during the ongoing surge of violence in the northeastern Indian state. The celebration, which was supposed to be held on July 3, the day of St. Thomas, was held a day earlier at the Cathedral Hall of the Malankara Catholic Church in Elmont, New York. It was hosted by the Federation of Indian American Christian Organizations of North America (FIACONA) to celebrate Indian heritage and Christian spirit. Several church priests, and dignitaries addressed the gathering including Rev. Mark Mang, Bishop Mar Joy Allapat of the Syro-Malabar Church, Bishop Isaac Mar Filoxenos Episcopa of Marthoma Church; Bishop Mar Joy Allapat of the Syro-Malabar Church, Rt. Rev. Dr. C.V. Mathew of the Evangelical Church, Rt. Rev. Johncy Itty of the Episcopal Church, and FIACONA President Koshy George. Bryan Nerran, who had to spend seven and a half months in prison in India on trumped up
Intense firing reported in two Manipur districts
Firing incidents were reported in two areas of Manipur on Wednesday at around 4:30 am. The previous incident of intermittent firing between the communities took place on July 4, in the evening. Intense firing was reported in certain areas of Manipur in the early hours of Wednesday. The firing began at around 4:30 am, specifically in the Kangpokpi district and Bishnupur district, according to news agency PTI. No casualties have been reported so far. The previous incident of intermittent firing between two communities took place on July 4, between 7 and 8 pm, reported PTI, quoting security officials. The exchange of gunfire stopped after this period, and no casualties were reported. Earlier, on the morning of July 4, a group of armed miscreants made an attempt to loot weapons from the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) located in a village in Manipur's Thoubal district. A 27-year-old man was killed in the clash between the miscreants and security officials, and an Assam Rifles jawan was shot at. The mob tried to storm the camp of an India Reserve Battalion in the Khangabok area to loot arms and ammunition, they said. Soon, a clash with the forces broke out. The forces tried to bring the situation under control and
India’s top court seeks ‘status report’ on Manipur riots
Church leaders say it is 'a targeted attack to erase Christianity' in the hilly northeastern state The top court in India has sought a status report on the sectarian strife in the northeastern Manipur state, which has claimed some 120 lives since May 3. The Supreme Court on June 3 asked the Manipur state government to file an “updated status report” on the “situation on the ground,” giving specific details on rehabilitation, recovery of arms, and improving the law and order situation in the hilly state which has been hit by ethnic violence between tribal Christians and majority Hindus. The Manipur Tribal Forum, one of the petitioners, informed the court that some 120 people have been killed since the violence started over awarding special tribal status to Hindu Meitei people to get priority in government jobs, education, and other affirmative action programs meant for the indigenous people. “The situation in Manipur has worsened,” senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, representing the forum, informed the top court. Several militant groups are openly calling for the annihilation of indigenous people, especially the tribal Kukis, a majority of them Christians staying in the hilly districts, Gonsalves added. Gonsalves accused the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) state government of inaction against the
