News from India
Hindu Groups Harass Christian Tourists in India
Two busloads of Christians on a Lenten pilgrimage tour in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh were intercepted by Hindu nationalist groups on March 31 and handed over to police in the town of Jabalpur.
USCIRF Finds that ‘Particularly Severe’ Persecution is Ongoing in India
In a report issued last week, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommended that India be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). The recommendation, which USCIRF has made for six years in a row, has not previously been followed by the Department of State, which controls the CPC designation.
Attacks Against Christians Quadruples in India According to New Report
The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC) verified 640 incidents of violence and discrimination against Christians in India in 2024, which is more than quadruple the 147 cases recorded in 2014.
3 Churches Attacked in Andhra Pradesh
Hindu nationalist mobs attacked three churches during recent Sunday worship services, leaving the local Christian communities in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh shaken.
Christians Protest Anti-Conversion Law
On March 6, nearly 200,000 Christians in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in India peacefully protested a proposal to implement an anti-conversion law that had remained dormant for 45 years.
Indian State Official Calls for Death Penalty for Forced Religious Conversions
The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh recently declared during a public meeting that he plans to seek the death penalty for those who engage in forced or fraudulent religious conversions.
UP Authorities Arrest 10 More Christians on Charges of Illegal Conversions
More than 10 Christians were recently arrested in different parts of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) on charges of illegal religious conversions under the Uttar Pradesh Unlawful Religious Conversion Prohibition Act.
Hindus Urged to Rape, Kill Christians on March 1 in Chhattisgarh
An open call issued by Hindu leaders to kill and rape Christians in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh on March 1 has raised serious concerns about the impunity with which Christians are being targeted in the country.