Two Christians attacked daily in India amid rising persecution

Every day, two Christians in India face attacks, according to data compiled by the United Christian Forum (UCF), an ecumenical organization that tracks atrocities against Christians in the country.

“Targeted violence against minority Christians has been rising sharply year after year since 2014,” said A.C. Michael, national convenor of UCF.<.p>

In 2014, there were 127 recorded incidents of violence against Christians. The numbers have escalated steadily, with 142 cases in 2015, 226 in 2016, 248 in 2017, 292 in 2018, 328 in 2019, 279 in 2020, 505 in 2021, 601 in 2022, and 734 in 2023. By the end of August 2024, 489 incidents had already been reported.

Many of these attacks stem from the misuse of the Freedom of Religion Act (FORA), a law that criminalizes religious conversions in several Indian states. False accusations of forced conversions are frequently used to justify violence against Christians.

Persecution and discrimination have become more common in the Hindu-majority country, especially since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014.

Under BJP rule, church leaders have repeatedly called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the increasing number of attacks on Christians and their institutions, but their appeals have largely gone unanswered.

India, with a population of 1.4 billion, is predominantly Hindu, with more than 80 percent of the population identifying as Hindu. Muslims make up 14.2 percent of the population, and Christians, who continue to face growing hostility, comprise just 2.3 percent.

Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.

This article is originally published on https://www.rvasia.org/asian-news/two-christians-attacked-daily-india-amid-rising-persecution