India: 378 Incidents of Anti-Christian Violence Reported in Six Months

India has witnessed as many as 378 incidents of violence against Christians in the first half of 2025, according to an ecumenical think tank based in New Delhi.

On July 21, the United Christian Forum (UCF) reported that 378 attacks occurred from January to June averaging two incidents per day.

“These incidents have drastically increased from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024. Reports indicate 734 cases in 2023,” said A.C. Michael, convenor of the Ecumenical Forum.

“If this trend is not curbed through political will and decisive government action, it will soon threaten the identity and very existence of the Indian Christian community in their motherland,” he warned.

The states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh have emerged as hotspots for such violence. Most attacks are based on false allegations of fraudulent religious conversions. In these regions, Christians are frequently subjected to hate campaigns, mob violence, and social ostracization with troubling signs of complicity from elements within law enforcement and the judicial system.

According to Michael, even routine missionary services, such as prayer meetings, can be misinterpreted as coercion or inducement, as the terms used in anti-conversion laws remain vague and are often abused to target Christians.

Many incidents also go unreported due to fear of retaliation and a prevailing climate of impunity supported by political patronage.

Currently, 11 of India’s 28 states have enacted anti-conversion laws, criminalizing conversions obtained through force, fraud, or allurement.

However, human rights advocates argue that these laws are regularly misused by Hindu nationalist groups often with tacit or active support from state authorities to harass and intimidate Christians and other religious minorities.

Critics cite poor police investigations, judicial bias, and partisan behavior from government institutions as worsening the plight of Christians, who face both rising physical violence and systemic discrimination.

Christian leaders note that since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, following the electoral success of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), attacks on Christians have sharply increased. They allege that the BJP and its ideological allies have leveraged political power to promote Hindu hegemony while undermining the rights of religious minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims.

According to Michael, intervention from the Vatican is essential “to protect the rights of religious minorities and uphold human dignity” in India.