The Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) recently released its annual report on Hate and Targeted Violence Against Christians in India.

They have documend an “unprecedented surge in violence and discrimination against Christians across India in 2024”. Over eight hundred incidents were reported and the commission was able to verify 640 cases.

Those data reflect a significant increase from 601 cases in 2023 and nearly quadruple the 147 incidents recorded a decade ago in 2014.

“The scale and intensity of persecution against Christians in India has reached crisis levels. On average, four to five churches and pastors face attacks daily, with incidents nearly doubling every Sunday”, said Rev. Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of the EFI.

Moreover, “limited capacity for investigation in remote areas and reluctance of victims to come forward due to threats further constrain our ability to document the full scope of the crisis”, added Lal.

Uttar Pradesh and January, the worst place and time

The report identifies Uttar Pradesh (188 incidents) as the state with the highest concentration of violence, followed by Chhattisgarh (150), Rajasthan (40), Punjab (38), and Haryana (34). Punjab and Rajasthan have emerged as new hotspots of religious persecution.

“The highest number of incidents were recorded in January (71), September (68), March (64), and October (62)”, points out the report.

The general elections held in April and May 2024 “coincided with 45 reported cases in each month, indicating that religious minorities remained vulnerable even during politically sensitive periods”, they explain.

All kinds of persecution

Christians in India suffer all kinds of persecution, including threats and harasement; targeted arrests under anti-conversion laws; physical violence; gender violence; disruptions of worship and prayer meetings; church vandalism; social boycotts with denial of community resources; and forced conversions. 

EFI has also verified that 4 Christians were murdered in 2024 due to their faith.

In Uttar Pradesh, religious extremist groups frequently raid prayer services and accuse Christians of coercion, but many times “law enforcement action has led to the arrest of victims rather than those responsible for the violence”, denounces the report.

Furthermore, legal experts “note that lower courts regularly deny bail, prolonging unjust imprisonment for many believers”.

Tribal Christians in Chhattisgar “face physical violence, social ostracism, and economic deprivation as extremist groups attempt to force them to renounce their faith”.

“Despite the increasing number of attacks, legal justice seems elusive. Many victims are too afraid to file complaints due to fear of police inaction, intimidation, or retaliation from their attackers”, underlines EFI.

Anti-conversion laws and death penalty

One of the biggest problems for Christians is the “misuse of anti-conversion laws”. Those laws, instead of preventing forced conversions, have harassed religious minorities. The burden of proof often falls on the accused, making legal defense extremely difficult.

The EFI warns that “in numerous cases, pastors conducting routine prayer services were arrested and charged with forced conversion without evidence”.

The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav, recently announced that he plans to seek the death penalty for those who engage in forced or fraudulent religious conversions.

“Religious conversion will not be tolerated”, Yadav said, claiming that the state has the legal right to punish those who carry out forced religious conversions with the same punishment as those who rape minors.

A call to the government

The EFI urges the government and law enforcement agencies “to take decisive action in ensuring justice for victims of religious violence”.

In order to achieve that, they call on the Indian government to:

- Ensure police protection for Christian communities at risk of attacks.

- Hold extremist groups accountable for instigating and perpetrating violence.

- Prevent the misuse of anti-conversion laws against innocent individuals.

- Improve legal safeguards for victims of religious persecution.

- Ensure fair and unbiased legal proceedings in cases involving religious minorities.

“The Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. It is imperative that these rights are upheld so that every Indian, regardless of faith, can worship freely and without fear”, concludes the EFI.