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.
Trouble in the south
Church leaders in India are alarmed over a dramatic increase in attacks on Christians in the state of Andhra Pradesh, where in recent weeks one pastor has been murdered, others beaten, and churches demolished. The All India Christian Council documented 72 incidents of anti-Christian violence and hostility in Andhra Pradesh […]
Bishops arrested at Dalit protest
Bishops were arrested by police in India during a protest against the discrimination of the Christian Dalit minority. Archbishop Anil Couto of Delhi was among those arrested during the protest on 11 December. He and several other bishops were taken to a local police station and later released, reports UCA. […]
Bajrang Dal pressure villagers to leave Christianity
For much of the year, Christians in the central India village of Taragaon have been enduring pressure to abandon their religion. In April, elements of Bajrang Dal demolished the church in Taragaon, a small town in the farming- and forestry-dominated region of southern Chhattisgarh state. View Larger Map Bajrang Dal […]
Indian Christians sentenced to life terms will appeal
India’s churches are urging an appeal of the lifetime sentences handed down on Oct. 3 to seven men convicted for the 2008 murder of a prominent Hindu leader. “The seven Christians are innocent,” said Rev. Charles Irudayam, executive secretary of the Office for Justice, Peace and Development within the Catholic Bishops’ […]
Christian woman raped and murdered in Madhya Pradesh
Four men were today convicted of the fatal gang rape of a medical student in Delhi – a story that has grabbed the world’s attention. Meanwhile, a little further south, the case of a Christian woman who suffered the same fate has gone relatively unnoticed. The 30-year-old was raped and killed […]
Madhya Pradesh awaits decision on stricter ‘anti-conversion law’
Protesters gather in Jhabua, a town in the west of Madhya Pradesh, on July 24.World Watch Monitor Madhya Pradesh state in central India awaits the outcome of proposed amendments to its ‘anti-conversion law’, which would lengthen prison time and fines for anyone convicted of forcing someone to change their […]
In India, a familiar pattern of pressure on Christians
In vast and diverse India, Christians often live freely. Yet India ranks among the 50 countries where life as a Christian is most difficult, according to Open Doors International, a global ministry that serves Christians who are pressured because of their faith. The country is No. 31 on Open Doors’ […]
Hindu nationalists harass villages for weeks, injure 4
Three months of intimidation and assaults in two villages in eastern India has left four Christians hospitalised and others injured, two houses damaged, and the entire Christian community unable to do business or draw water from the town well, church leaders say. The boycott of the Christians of Dangarguda village, […]
BJP told: ‘Creating unrest won’t pay’
Christians in Karnataka state in southern India hope for a “new social and religious atmosphere” following local elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindu nationalist group, suffered heavy defeat to the Congress Party. “The results of the vote in Karnataka are a warning to the BJP and the entire […]
VHP leads mob to destroy Indian church
Members of Divya Jyoti Church were too late to stop a mob from knocking down their building.World Watch Monitor On March 12 in a southeast India village, the local newspaper published allegations that Divya Jyoti Church had been built on government land. The next day, a crowd equipped with […]