According to a recent report by the United Christian Forum (UCF), Christians in India are experiencing a rise in persecution. The report documented 745 instances of alleged violence against the Christian minority community. This is an all-time high and all occurred within the first 11 months of 2024. The UCF says that violence against Christians has risen in the Hindu-majority nation over the past 10 years.
Authorities are indifferent to the Christian persecution. The report states that just 47 cases have resulted in formal police action from January through November 2024. The persecution takes the form of physical violence, murder, social boycotts, and the desecration of religious symbols. The UCF is an organization, based in New Delhi, that monitors violence against Christians in India while advocating for fundamental freedoms, justice, liberty, and equality.
Churches have been attacked often and there are instances of desecration and disruptions to worship services, the charity noted. The report blames the rise of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for a surge in violence. The report finds that in the months after the party came to power in 2014, there were 127 recorded incidents of violence against Christians.
More recent incidents have been reported via a toll-free helpline that UCF set up in January 2015. It was designed to shed light on violence against Christians in India. The UCF says that the Indian government’s response has been lacking. A.C. Michael, UCF National Coordinator, held a press conference on December 20. He presented the report to reporters and explained his methodology.
Michael explained that the data excluded the recent sectarian violence in Manipur, a far-eastern Indian state where anti-Christian sentiment erupted on May 3, 2023. There were over 250 deaths and 60,000 were displaced the majority of them Christian. He said, “It has become increasingly difficult for the Christian population to practice their faith in India.”
He added that “What we are witnessing, is a systematic rise in violence and intimidation.” He thinks that the persecution is orchestrated and organized by groups. “Organizations targeting Christian beliefs are systematically carrying out these acts,” he told the press at his conference. “This is not random—it’s a well-planned campaign against a particular faith.”
Michael is a former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission. He called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to organize national-level investigations to address persecution against the Christian minority in India. According to his release, of India’s 1.4 Billion citizens, just 2.4 percent are Christian. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released an annual report on religious freedom in India.
It noted that in 2023 non-government organizations (NGOs) reported 687 incidents of violence against Christians. Christians continue to be detained under various state-level anti-conversion laws. The report stated that in January 2024, a Hindu mob attacked Christians in Chhattisgarh, a central Indian state. Churches were destroyed or vandalized and the mob tried to “reconvert” individuals to Hinduism. 30 Christians were beaten in Chhattisgarh for refusing to renounce their faith. The Chhattisgarh government reported 139 incidents of anti-Christian violence in 2024. This is second only to Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, which reported 182 cases.