Persecuted and Forgotten?
A report on Christians oppressed for their Faith 2013-2015
INDIA Country Profile and Incident Reports
Total population: 1.2 billion
Hindus 79.5%, Muslims 14.4%, Christians 2.5% (Protestants 1.5%, Catholics 0.8%, Orthodox
0.2%), Buddhists 0.8%, Jews 0.1%, Others 2.7%
Christian population: 30.9m
Violent attacks on Christians and churches rose dramatically in 2014 and 2015, prompting
growing alarm among the faithful and their bishops. Reports show that extremist Hindu
nationalist movements have become increasingly assertive in their claims that Christianity is
alien to India. Concerns that Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi, who became Prime Minister
in 2014, is ambivalent in the face of such persecution have increased fears that Christians
and others can expect more trouble in the months and years ahead.
Such a gloomy outlook is set against a legal background which enshrines religious freedom.
The rights of India’s religious minorities are protected in law under Article 25 (1) which
states that “subject to public order, morality and health and to the other provisions of this
Part, all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to
profess, practise and propagate religion.”i But while in theory Christians are assured of their
place in society, the situation on the ground is very different with radicals pushing forward
their agenda of creating a Hindu nation in India. Following his election triumph in May 2014,
Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi made promises to protect Christians from
extremist violence but has been accused of so far failing to support his words with actions.
The growing number of attacks against Christians carried out by extremist groups and
individuals have created an atmosphere of widespread apprehension among communities
across India where localised attacks are becoming increasingly commonplace. Hindu
nationalist leader Prime Minister Modi has been criticised by campaigners for his lack of
action against radicals. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo,
Archbishop of Ranchi, condemned the government’s lack of support of Christians, saying:
“They have not come out to protect and defend [Christians]. The Prime Minister has only
once spoken in defence of the constitution and he promised to protect the Christians and
other minorities. But that was only a promise.”ii The cardinal was the subject of a death
threat in June 2015 after he received a threatening letter claiming to be from the People’s
Liberation Front of India (PLFI). A suspect was later arrested and it was revealed he had no
connection with the PLFI, rather he harboured a grudge and had no criminal connections.
Minister Modi spoke in February 2015 in New Delhi to an audience of Christian leaders and
vowed to protect religious minorities, “We cannot accept violence against any religion on
any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence. My government will act strongly in this
regard.”iii But despite these remarks, violence against religious minorities has reportedly
increased with 7,000 people estimated to have experienced persecution during 2014.iv
The number of religious buildings vandalised across India in early 2015 rose with five
churches in Delhi being attacked in less than two months. Responding to reports of an
attack on Our Lady of Graces Church in west Delhi's Vikaspuri area, Archbishop Anil J T
Couto of Delhi said there was “a clear pattern of orchestrated attacks on churches to
weaken the social fabric.”v Several hundred Christians gathered in Delhi in February 2015 to
protest against the destruction of their churches. More than 200 demonstrators were
arrested as they campaigned outside Sacred Heart Cathedral on suspicion of unlawful
assembly though campaigners argue they were gathered peacefully. National Director of Aid
to the Church in Need UK Neville Kyrke-Smith said: “The tension and acts of aggression in
India against Christian communities are escalating as we see an increase in intolerance and a
rise in a politically religious fundamentalism.”
Christians also risk acts of aggression from fundamentalist groups such as Hindu Jagarana
Vedike, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These ultranationalistic Hindu organisations have called for a law to illegalise conversions from
Hinduism and hold ceremonies known as home-comings or ‘Ghar Wapsi’ to forcibly reconvert Christians to Hinduism. Reports of a mass conversion ceremony where up to 100
Christians are thought to have been “welcomed back” to Hinduism sparked concerns of
intimidation by nationalist groups in January 2015.vi The ‘home-coming’ ceremony that took
place in West Bengal allegedly targeted vulnerable communities in a remote area. A report
released by the Mumbai-based Catholic Secular Forum in January 2015 claimed that
273,000 minorities were re-converted to Hinduism in one part of northern India’s Uttar
Pradesh state. Alarmingly, it was also reported that 50 villages in central India’s Chhattisgarh
state passed resolutions outlawing non-Hindu religious ceremonies.vii
Since the world's largest democracy welcomed a new right-wing government in India’s May
2014 election, Christians and other religious minorities have witnessed an increase of
attacks against their communities. Prime Minister Modi’s inaction has worried many
campaigners for religious freedom though many Christians in India still have hope that he
will keep his promise to protect Christians and uphold the constitution. Currently the
situation for Christians remains uncertain as the religious community continues to face
localised attacks with little protection from the law.
INDIA Incident Reports
September 2013: A Christian widow and her daughter were dragged to a Hindu temple and beaten
for refusing to convert back to Hinduism. The woman, known only as Doddamma from
Chickmagalur, was left unconscious and she and her daughter were hospitalised for three days after
the incident. The group of radicals then raided the pair’s house and stole their ration card and
clothes. The following week, another widow in Chhattisgarh state was beaten by three Hindu
radicals for refusing to renounce Christianity. The extremists also destroyed her home after she
escaped into the jungle. Laxmi Sovi suffered a fractured left hand, bruising and abrasions on her
neck but managed to flee and join her two children in the surrounding forest.viii
November 2013: A seven-year-old boy was tortured and killed in Rajasthan state after his father
received death threats from Hindu extremists because of his Christian faith. Harish Gemethi of the
Believers Church in Gamidi village, Dungerpur District, alleged it was the same group of Hindu
radicals who murdered his son but claimed the police did not investigate. He said: “For the 10 years I
have been a Christian, some local Hindu extremists have threatened to kill me and harm my family
countless times – the last threat I received was earlier this month, before my son was killed.” His
son, Anugrag Gemethi, was discovered in a pond in Tadi Obri with his face mutilated and burns on
his stomach. His toes had also been chopped off. Attorney Tehmina Arora of Alliance Defending
Freedom-India said: “This is a tragic and brutal killing of a young child, seemingly to curb the free
exercise of his and his parents’ religious beliefs.”ix
March 2014: Several Christians were dragged from their homes by Hindu extremists and were
abused in the street until they converted to Hinduism. The local leader of the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, the youth wing of the Hindu extremist group, led a mob through the village of Pali in the
Ramgarh district and targeted about 15 church members. The Christians were verbally abused in
front of their friends and families until they re-converted. Two brothers, Tilas and Chandra Bedia,
refused to convert. They, and another Christian pastor, were beaten and dragged to the outskirts of
the village. A complaint of forced conversion was lodged against them and they were shunned from
their hometown.x
May 2014: A gang of radical Hindus attacked and killed a man they mistook for a newly baptised
Christian in the village of Dherubada, Orissa. Nimmaka Laxmaya, 50, was walking home alone from
his son’s baptism service holding his ceremonial robes when he was targeted by the group. The
Hindu extremists were looking for a person they deemed guilty of receiving the Sacrament but came
across Mr Laxmaya and murdered him when he refused to deny his Christian faith.xi
August 2014: Following complaints made by locals, police detained 10 Christian pastors from the
village of Kulesra in Surajpur, Gautam Buddh Nagar district over claims they were involved in forced
conversions. While the religious leaders were held for questioning, a mob surrounded the station in
a bid to prevent them from leaving despite the lack of evidence against them. After interrogation,
police admitted the pastors were involved in a fasting rite and not guilty of the charges brought
against them. It was alleged that members of the Hindu nationalist paramilitary group Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh spread false rumours of the forced conversions to incite the non-Christian
locals in the region. The president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, Sajan George,
condemned the false reports against the pastors in Kulesra saying: “The bogey of ‘conversion’ is
being raised, with an aggressiveness against the innocent Christians.”xii
September 2014: At least 23 Christians were reconverted to Hinduism in a ceremony carried out by
Hindu radicals in Uttar Pradesh. The people, who chose to convert to Christianity two years ago,
were involved in a service organised by extremist Hindu groups Sant Ravidas Dharma Raksha Samiti
and Sri Gram Devta Pujan Samiti. The ceremony, which took place in Trilochan Mahadev temple, was
part of a ‘home-coming’ programme carried out by the two groups throughout Uttar Pradesh state
that aimed to reconvert as many Christians as possible. Sajan K George, president of the Global
Council of Indian Christians, criticised such a programme as preying: “on the simplicity of the people
and indulge in hate propaganda against Christianity”.xiii
October 2014: Hindu radicals allegedly pressured the authorities into cancelling a Christian gathering
in protest of an inter-faith marriage between a Hindu girl and a Christian boy. Members of the
Christian community in Jorbat were told their event would be a “disruption of the peace” and it was
therefore cancelled a day before it was due to happen. The ‘Massihi Atmik Jagruti Sabha’, organised
by the All India Christian United Front and Moksha Foundation, was not allowed to take place
despite the couple being found following threats of protests by several nationalist groups. Joseph
Pawar, 22, and Ayushi Wani, 19, were found and arrested in Gujarat and brought back to their
families in Jorbat. The marriage was declared invalid by police but the gathering was still prevented
from going ahead.xiv
November 2014: A Pentecostal Christian community in Udumalpet, the southern state of Tamil
Nadu, was attacked by more than 100 Hindu radicals. The mob damaged 20 vehicles parked outside
the church before breaking in to Konkal Marthoma Church and disrupting the service. The extremists
destroyed Bibles, musical instruments and attacked the congregation. Five members of the church
including the pastor, Reverend Sathis, were taken to hospital following the assault.xv
December 2014: A Christian pastor and 15 parishioners were attacked as they performed Christmas
carols in the city of Hyderabad by about 30 Hindu radicals who accused them of trying to convert
people. Pastor Bhim Nayak of Banjara Baptist Church was severely beaten and taken to hospital in a
critical condition. Four of the choir also needed medical treatment.xvi
January 2015: The sole Christian church in the village of Tadur in Telangana state was burnt down by
Hindu extremists a year after it was built. Parimala Beautiful Church, which could accommodate up
to 70 worshipers, was set alight and completely destroyed. The arson attack, carried out by at least
16 unidentified men, took place after an evening prayer service and devastated Christian literature,
furnishings and musical instruments. A representative of the parish, pastor Srinivas, spoke of
previous threats against the Christian community in Tadur. He said: “Prior to this incident, on
number of occasions, right-wing activists have threatened me and warned me not to continue the
church in this village. The Hindu radicals have snatched the Gospel literature from me and destroyed
them a number of times in the past.”xvii
February 2015: A group of 20 Christians were assaulted by police after they were detained for
distributing religious material in the city of Jaipur. The priests and evangelists were taking part in a
four-day tour of the capital of India's Rajasthan state when they were heckled by Hindu protestors
and police were called to disperse them. The group were walking back to their accommodation
when they were met by officers and taken to Mansarovar police station for interrogation but instead
they were allegedly tortured, sustaining injuries to their hands and torsos. They were released a few
hours later but refused entry into their hotel and told not leave the city.xviii
February 2015: In the fifth case in two months, another church was broken into and desecrated in
South Delhi. St Alphonsa’s Church in Vasant Kunj’s Green Avenue neighbourhood was vandalised by
unidentified assailants. The attackers had removed a chalice from the tabernacle on the main altar
and emptied the Eucharist onto the floor and the Sacristy was also raided. Father Mathew Koyickal,
Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Delhi, criticised the police’s decision to label the raid as a robbery.
He said: “The only thing stolen from the church is a steel chalice. It does not cost more than Rs 200.
If they were here to steal, why was the money collection box untouched? They aimed straight for
the Eucharist. Police are trying to play down the incident by calling it a robbery. But it is clearly a
case of desecration.” The head of the church, Fr Vincent, agreed that the intruders had the: “sole
intent of desecrating the House of God and hurting our sentiments”.xix
March 2015: The farm of a Christian man was attacked by Hindu radicals following allegations that
the farmer was forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. Supporters of the Hindu Jagran Manch
group interrupted a prayer meeting at the property in Jobat, Alirajpur district and accused the man,
known only as Emmanuel, of forced conversions. Members of the militant group then filed a
complaint at Jobat police station and demanded an investigation into Emmanuel’s Christian
activities.xx
March 2015: A 71-year-old nun needed surgery after she was attacked during a raid on a Christian
missionary school in West Bengal. The elderly victim was in bed when at least six men broke into the
Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Nadia district but managed to raise the alarm. She was then
gang-raped as she attempted to prevent them from moving through the building. The men escaped
with stolen items from the school including a camera, laptops and cash.xxi
March 2015: Police in India were accused of deliberately mistreating peaceful protestors as they
took part in a non-violent demonstration against the persecution of Christians. More than 500
activists congregated outside Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi to protest against an increase in
cases of vandalism attacks on churches in India. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need, Father
Dennis George, a priest of the Archdiocese of New Delhi described how he stepped forward to
intervene after he witnessed the violence against Christians first-hand: “When I saw police roughing
up people and dragging even women into vans, I, in cassock, moved forward to stop them.”xxii
April 2015: Vandals attacked a church in Pratappura and damaged four statues of the Virgin Mary
and a figure of the infant Jesus. No-one was reported injured during the attack which took place at
night. The parish priest of St. Mary Church said: “the intruders intended to hurt our religious
sentiments as they placed the head of child Jesus Christ in the hand of Mother Mary and attached a
dog chain to the neck.” Members of the church held a candle march in response to the attack and a
complaint was lodged with the authorities. Rajesh D Modak, the senior superintendent of police,
visited the scene of the attacked to assure the Christian community the matter would be
investigated. In a statement Andrew Prakash, national vice-president of the Isai Mahasangh, added:
“Christians of all denominations will gather at the church on Friday to decide the future course of
action.”xxiii
June 2015: Two masked men broke into a Christian-run medical centre and sexually assaulted a nun
who was working there. The 47-year-old qualified nurse was tied up and attacked at Krist Sahaya
Kendra medical centre in Raipur, Chhattisgarh state. The men had broken in to find money and
property but attempted to rape the nun when they couldn’t find anything to steal. Discovered by a
colleague the next morning, she was rushed to hospital and treated for her injuries.xxiv
June 2015: A mob of more than 50 Hindu nationalists attacked a church meeting injuring eight
Christians. The group accused those gathered at the municipal library in Attingal, in India’s southern
Kerala state of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. Witnesses claimed the attackers, thought
to be members of radical group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), destroyed furniture and
damaged musical instruments. Police arrested five people following the incident and registered
complaints made against 20 others.xxv
July 2015: A homemade bomb disguised as a football was deliberately placed in the playground of a
Christian school in Kolkata where it detonated, injuring a former student. The explosives were
hidden inside the ball which had been sealed with tape and placed in the school grounds. Young
people came across the ball as they cleaned the playground ahead of a planned football match. One
of the young people present picked up the ball and passed it to his friend. The bomb exploded when
the other person missed the ball and it hit a wall instead.xxvi
i
Constitution Society, http://www.constitution.org/cons/india/p03025.html
ii
ACN, 15/06/15 http://www.acnuk.org/news.php/575/india-keep-your-promise-mr-modi
iii
Premier Christian Radio, 17/02/15 http://www.premier.org.uk/News/World/Indian-Prime-Minister-vows-to-protect-Christians
iv
UCA News, 21/01/15 http://www.ucanews.com/news/persecution-report-highlights-attacks-on-indias-christians/72837
v
Times of India, 15/01/15 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Church-vandalized-in-Delhi-fourth-in-6-weeks/articleshow/45892142.cms
vi
Guardian, 29/01/15 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/29/india-mass-reconversion-christians-hinduism
vii
UCA News, 21/01/15 http://www.ucanews.com/news/persecution-report-highlights-attacks-on-indias-christians/72837
viii
Morning Star News, 11/09/13 http://morningstarnews.org/2013/09/christian-widows-in-india-beaten-for-refusing-to-reconvert-to-hinduism/
ix
Morning Star News, 30/11/13 http://morningstarnews.org/2013/11/police-in-india-slow-to-investigate-torture-killing-of-christian-boy/
x
Morning Star News, 26/03/14 http://morningstarnews.org/2014/03/police-in-india-rebuke-file-case-against-christians-fleeing-hindu-extremist-attack/
xi
Christian Persecution Update, 09/06/14 http://www.persecution.in/category/topic/dherubada-village
xii
Asia News, 03/09/14 http://www.asianews.it/news-en/India,-false-accusations-of-forced-conversions-used-to-intimidate-Christian-minority-32048.html
xiii
Asia News, 10/09/14 http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Uttar-Pradesh,-Hindu-radicals-reconvert-23-Christians-32110.html
xiv
Asia News, 08/10/14 http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Madhya-Pradesh,-the-government-cancels-a-Christian-gathering-for-disturbing-the-peace32364.html
xv
Asia News, 18/11/14 http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Tamil-Nadu,-100-Hindu-radicals-attack-a-Christian-community-32727.html
xvi
Christian Post, 15/12/14 http://www.christianpost.com/news/india-pastor-church-members-singing-christmas-carols-violently-attacked-by-30-hinduradicals-131190/#QO7dWYW06qVv5d07.99
xvii
Christian Post, 23/01/15 http://www.christianpost.com/news/only-christian-church-in-indian-village-burned-down-by-hindu-radicals-bibles-torched133015/#KfQUQef2pCeAVUdI.99
xviii
xix
Indian Express, 26/02/15 http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/20-christians-detained-by-local-police-for-distributing-religious-literature/
Indian Express, 03/02/15 http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/church-allegedly-vandalised-in-south-delhis-vasant-kunj/
xx
Christian man accused of converting Hindus in Alirajpur, farm [online] Available at: attacked http://www.hindustantimes.com/bhopal/christian-man-s-farmattacked-accused-of-converting-hindus/article1-1322075.aspx Date Published: 02/03/15, Date Accessed: 23/04/15
xxi
The Independent, 14/03/15 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/elderly-nun-gangraped-in-india-during-attack-on-christian-missionary-school10108371.html
xxii
ACN, 12/03/15 http://www.acnuk.org/news.php/554/india-police-accused-of-unprovoked-violence-against-christians#sthash.LEEVYGQO.d5Eehw3W.dpuf
xxiii
Christian Post, 16/04/15 http://www.christianpost.com/news/vandals-wrap-dog-chain-around-mother-mary-statue-in-india-remove-baby-jesus-head137646/#34QbuTyQBlqdyKMT.99
xxiv
Barnabas Fund, 25/06/15 https://barnabasfund.org/news/Masked-men-tied-up-and-attempted-to-rape-a-nun-at-Indian-Christian-medicalcentre?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
xxv
Barnabas Fund, 30/06/15 https://barnabasfund.org/news/Hindu-mob-storms-Christian-prayer-meeting-in-India-injuring-eightbelievers?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
xxvi
Barnabas Fund, 13/07/15 https://barnabasfund.org/news/Hindu-extremists-attack-two-churches-in-India-and-leave-explosive-in-Christian-schoolplayground?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
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