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.
Modi’s UN Yoga Day latest example of co-incidence with Christian ‘high days and holidays’
Thousands in India celebrated the first International Day of Yoga, 21 JuneFB/Narendra Modi As you may have seen, June 21 was the first-ever International Yoga Day, observed from New Delhi to New York. In yoga’s birthplace, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself led a yoga session attended by 37,000 […]
Report of attack on Indian nun sparks protests
Several thousand Christians in central India marched in protest June 20 and 21 after reports emerged that two men had sexually assaulted a nun in her bedroom. Citing police sources in Chhattisgarh state, the attackers broke into the 47-year-old nun’s room early June 20, tied her, and attempted to rape […]
Christians remain cautious about Modi
To mark the first anniversary of his government, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 26 declared the world is “optimistic about India and is enthusiastic about exploring the opportunities India has to offer.” To which one leader of India’s churches replied: “We have nothing to celebrate. Rather, we have […]
‘Token’ arrests frustrate Indian bishop
An Indian bishop has accused police of ‘tokenism’ after they swiftly released on bail six suspects allegedly caught on camera vandalising a cathedral in central India on March 20. “Such kind of tokenism from police [will] not help bring in confidence among beleaguered Christians,” said Bishop Gerald Almeida. The men were […]
Delhi protest marks 300 days of BJP in India
At a March 19 rally in New Delhi, Christian and Muslim activists unfurl a list of what they consider atrocities against religious minorities during the first 300 days of rule under India’s Bharatiya Janata Party.World Watch Monitor / Anto Akkara Two dozen Christian and Muslim groups were joined by […]
Mother Superior, 71, gang-raped in India
A 71-year-old Mother Superior was gang-raped at a convent in eastern India on Saturday (14 March), after she confronted a group of armed robbers. The robbers were caught on CCTV and eight men questioned by police following the incident at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ranaghat, near Kolkata. […]
Indian beef ban hits ‘untouchable’ Dalits hardest
A national ban on beef, the cheapest meat in India, would hurt all of India’s tribal peoples.Meena Kadri / Flickr / CC The west Indian state of Maharashtra, run by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), caused a commotion last week when it received Federal approval to enforce […]
Indian police beat Christian evangelists
Swollen, reddened wrists and hands displayed after release from police custody Feb. 25 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.Photo provided by People’s Union for Civil Liberties Twenty Christian men on an evangelical mission in north-western India last week were illegally detained and tortured by police, according to a human rights group […]
India’s Modi breaks silence on protecting minorities, but urged to ‘walk the talk’
Indian Prime Minister Modi shakes hand wtih Cardinal Alencherry while holding a memento of twin saintsWorld Watch Monitor Critics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were ‘pleasantly surprised’ by his unequivocal assertion of the right to freedom of religion while addressing a major church event in New Delhi on […]
Indian church burning compared to Nazis
The Archbishop of Mumbai has asked whether India’s constitutional guarantee for people to freely ‘profess, practise and propagate religion’ actually applies to the Christian community in light of the treatment of those protesting in Delhi on 5 February against the fifth attack on the city’s churches in recent weeks. On […]