Verghese V Joseph –
Washington, DC: India’s Christian community is currently experiencing a sharp increase in persecution across eight states during the past three weeks, says a world human rights organization on Monday. International Christian Concern (ICC), a Washington, DC based liberty rights monitoring agency, has recorded at least 14 violent incidents, as well as 12 cases in which Christians were wrongfully jailed under false conversion charges.
Jeff King, ICC’s President, shared his concern in a statement , “If the pace of persecution in recent weeks continues long term, it would threaten to exceed the number of incidents that took place last year. This level of persecution is unprecedented, and we are deeply concerned about what this might mean for the future of India’s Christian community. We are holding each of the impacted families in our prayers, as well as the broader community.”
ICC previously reported how the United Christian Forum, an NGO that manages a toll-free number for Christian persecution, recorded 486 incidents last year. This was the highest level of persecution since India gained its independence, and the sharp increase of persecution within the first quarter of 2022 worries Christians that this year will face even higher levels, the release said.
Pastor Madhu, who was violently targeted during one of the recent incidents, shared with ICC that he was violently attacked after a month of harassment. A mob of nearly 100 suspected BJP supporters targeted him for alleged forced conversion. He was jailed, but released after two days. “I was shocked to see my church was completely demolished,” Pastor Madhu said, “I don’t know where to look for help, as I am just out of jail on bail. It is becoming increasingly difficult to gather for worship and prayers, especially in my region of Shivmoga district.”
In a separate incident, radical Hindu nationalists brutally beat Pastor Rakash and two of his family members in Uttar Pradesh because they were praying. The three Christians spent over a week in the hospital with serious injuries. “They wanted to burn us alive in the church, but by God’s grace we ended up in the hospital,” Pastor Rakash shared with ICC. “They beat us so badly with fists and kicked [us] in [the] abdomen area and hit me on [the] head with [a] stick. I fell to the ground; even today, I [have an] unbearable headache.”
“Every congregation in my district is under threat from the radical Hindu groups,” a pastor in Karnataka added. “This is the fifth incident after the anti-conversion bill was tabled by the BJP-led government in December 2021. Though the bill hasn’t become law, the torture and harassment have increased so much that the Christians have to go through tremendous mental pressure.”
Last month, nearly 40 Christians were forcibly re-converted into Hinduism in a central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh on 31 January 2022. The members of Shalom Kalashya Church in Phuldavidi village located in Jhabua district were threatened by the radical Hindu nationalists with dire consequences if they refused to re-convert into Hinduism. The drive of reconversion by right-wing groups such as VHP and Bajrangdal is part of the larger goal to make Jhabua a conversion-free district.
According to local sources, the leaders of the VHP and Bajrangdal organized a re-conversion (Ghar Wapsi) ceremony at a temple in the village, where 40 Christians, including Anandi Ben and her family, were forced to do the rituals of breaking the coconut and eating food (Prasad) offered to gods. Anandi Ben and her family have been following the Christian faith for more than four years. The Christians in the village were threatened to boycott them from the village if they refused to take part in the re-conversion program.
Mrs. Ben told ICC, “No one can take away the faith that is inside of our heart, we hope to join the Church again soon, God will help us,” she continued “I was threatened that I will lose Government subsidies, affirmative benefits, if I continue as a Christian, I was also threatened that my agriculture land will be taken away from me, I had no choice,” she said
“Christians in this district are targeted for their faith,” another church member recently told ICC. “Christians are conscious about the climate of hate violence perpetrated by the right-wing groups, and this will continue under present rulers, several Churches are shut down in the district, while others conduct worship in secret.”
Incidents of religious attacks, particularly against Christians in Madhya Pradesh are increasing ever since the Hindu nationalist BJP enacted the Anti-conversion law in January 2021.
In a separate incident, five Madhya Pradesh pastors were arrested and jailed on false charges of forced conversions. “Several house congregations had to cancel their Sunday gatherings in our district,” a Christian leader shared. “In the last year, ever since the anti-conversion law was enacted, things for Christians have changed drastically, where it is almost impossible to live as a Christian.”