Since the Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in 2014, radical Hinduism has increased steadily. Several states outlaw proselytism, and there have been efforts to impose such so-called “anti-conversion laws” at a national level. The violence of radical Hindu groups or angry mobs of villagers is often allowed by local, state and national authorities dominated by the BJP. This means the Hindu radicals can act with increasing impunity.
Protests as Mumbai officials remove cross from ‘private land’
A local authority in Mumbai is being taken to the High Court over the removal of a 122-year-old cross that is reported to have stood on private land, reports New Delhi Television. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) removed the cross in Bandra, a wealthy Mumbai suburb, on 29 April in […]
India: Kerala criticised for ‘disrespectful’ cross demolition
The Catholic bishops in the Indian state of Kerala have condemned the demolition of a large hilltop cross erected in an area that has experienced large numbers of land grabs. “The demolition of the cross has pained the entire Christian community,” Varghese Vallikkat, deputy secretary general of the Kerala Catholic […]
Indian Christians protest at Good Friday launch of ‘Digital India Day’
Ignoring protests from Christians, the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, launched Digital India Day on 14 April – Good Friday – as part of his government’s campaign to promote widespread use of electronic products and services. India’s Christians said they felt marginalised by the move because it fell on an […]
India’s churches also targeted on Palm Sunday, but Modi stays silent
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been criticised for condemning the Palm Sunday attacks on churches in Egypt but failing to condemn attacks in his own country. On the same day that two churches were bombed in Egypt, five churches in India – in five different states – were targeted […]
Chief Minister of India’s most populous state bans ‘illegal’ abattoirs
India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) party on 19 March appointed a highly controversial Hindu cleric to lead the country’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. The choice for Yogi Adityanath – a controversial Hindu monk who has been repeatedly accused of stirring anti-Muslim sentiments – is a shocking rebuke to […]
Uncertain future for Indian Christians after BJP’s election victories
India’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seems to have consolidated its political position across India after the party won several state elections. These were held in February and March; after results were counted in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, it had secured a comfortable majority in India’s most populous […]
India: Chhattisgarh church remains shut, 6 weeks after Hindu mob forced closure
An Indian church remains shut, six weeks after a mob of angry Hindus halted a Sunday service and forced the pastor to close the church. He says the local government has sided with the mob. The church is in Dalli Rajhara, a mining city in the central state of Chhattisgarh, […]
‘Hindus never convert people’, says Indian MP
The Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs has claimed the Hindu population in India is decreasing because “Hindus never convert people”. Kiren Rijiju, tweeting on 13 February, also wrote that “minorities are flourishing”. Hindu population is reducing in India because Hindus never convert people. Minorities in India are flourishing […]
India’s religious freedom failings ‘enshrined in constitution’
Religious freedom in India will never be achieved unless the country is willing to make substantial amendments to its constitution and legal framework, says a new report. It also asks the US to put human rights at the heart of trade and diplomatic interactions with India. A tide of religiously […]
Indian evangelist suffers brain haemorrhage after police grilling
K.A. Swamy.World Watch Monitor An Indian Christian has suffered a brain haemorrhage after he was interrogated by police about his role in distributing Bibles and other Christian literature in the city where he works as a professor of engineering. K.A. Swamy, 47, was marched to the police station at […]