Reflections from a People’s Tribunal on Violence Against Christians in India 

Recently, I was part of a People’s Tribunal against the violence against Christians in India, which was held by Karwan-e-Mohabbat headed by human rights activist and author Harsh Mander. The tribunal convened a panel of eminent scholars, activists, journalists and human rights activists such as Harsh Mander, John Dayal, Irfan Engineer, Pamela Philipose, Syeda Hameed, Tanika Sarkar and Vidya Dinker. This was not just an account of individual incidents of violence against Christians, but a disturbing trend to the normalisation, institutionalisation and social legitimisation of violence against Christians.

The first few moments of the proceedings centered around a reminder of Manipur and a strong statement that no Christians would be safe if not for the safety of Muslims, Dalits and Adivasis counterparts. This was significant as it situated anti-Christian violence in the context of majoritarianism and not as a single occurrence. The testimonies that followed highlighted the point that religious intolerance is not the only problem, but communal mobilization, the state institutions, and social prejudice coming together are equally responsible for the violence against christians.

A large number of survivors spoke of being accused of “conversion” for which there was no evidence. The charges of conversion in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat seemed to be more about social control than legal action. Adivasi Christians talked about the lack of access to water, electricity, community resources and even burial grounds. Others testified to how local vigilante (Bajrang Dal, RSS, etc) groups allegedly cooperated with police and how it made it extremely difficult to complain against those that committed the offences.

A common theme was the criminalization of Christianity. Prayer meetings were “suspicious” gatherings, Pastors were “potential offenders” and normal believers were “threats to public order”. A particularly disturbing testimony recounted the arrest of a woman who was being arrested while praying with her kids at home before bedtime. The incidents bring up the disturbing issue of the reducing space for religious freedom and freedom of conscience as guaranteed by the constitution of India.

The testimonies also highlighted the nature of violence as not just physical, but emotional. It involves humiliation and intimidation as well as economic exclusion, denial of public services, arbitrary arrests and social boycott. Another disabled survivor recounted being beaten, not being given basic facilities in jail and being forced to do physical labor, which he was unable to do because of his disability. Some said they had run to the forests, women and children had taken shelter in bushes and the vigilantes and police were looking for them at night. It remains to be seen whether all the allegations will eventually be proven in court but the uniformity of the allegations has led to the emergence of patterns at a structural level which should not be overlooked.

The biggest surprise of the tribunal was the one concerning burial rights. Activists pointed to many instances of Christians not being allowed to bury their dead, having to obtain permits to bury them, or being constrained after death. But the lack of dignity in death is an example of the extent to which communal enmity has infiltrated social relations. Violence has shifted from body to memory, identity and belonging.

The statistical data submitted was also very important. Since 2014, there has been a significant rise in the number of attacks against Christians. The numbers themselves are not as easy to interpret, but the trend is clearly one of increased climate of hostility, which needs serious consideration and response from constitutional institutions, civil society and policy makers.

The trial was the result of something more than a persecution story, it was a story of resilience. Despite threats, social rejection and violence, many survivors didn’t give up on their faith. Their testimonies showed their resolve to not lose their dignity in some very hard times.

Meanwhile, the tribunal raised tough challenges for civil society. One comment that came up in the discussion was the relative isolation of Christian communities in their struggle for minority rights. The perception or reality is that these solidarities between the marginalised groups are not sufficiently strong. If people in one community are attacked, and people in other communities do not do anything about it, it will not be possible to stop the attack.

But the most disturbing development was communal violence, which seemed to be shifting in nature. The threat is no longer felt to be only from organized groups. As revealed in several testimonies, enmity has entered into social life as well. Regional organizations, village institutions and neighbours can be agents of exclusion and violence. This shift marks a greater social problem as prejudice is spreading from extremist groups into the society.

The end result of the People’s Tribunal was a reminder that religious freedom is not limited to the freedom to worship but rather encompasses other aspects. It is also a matter of being able to live in dignity, have access to public goods, access to justice, and even be able to bury one’s dead without fear. One’s stance on each of the interpretations offered at the tribunal doesn’t matter, what matters is that the stories are treated with gravitas and are not overlooked. But democracies are not evaluated on their treatment of majorities, they are evaluated on their treatment of the marginalised sections of the society. The different traumas and stories heard at this tribunal question whether India is fulfilling constitutional pledges.

This article was originally published on https://countercurrents.org/2026/06/reflections-from-a-peoples-tribunal-on-violence-against-christians-in-india/