A delegation of Christian leaders has urged India's federal government to address the rising violence against Christians and to recommend the repeal of controversial anti-conversion laws in 11 states. The United Christian Forum (UCF) presented a detailed memorandum to Kiren Rijiju, the federal minister for minority affairs, highlighting alarming statistics and specific incidents of persecution.
On 20 July, the eight-member UCF delegation met with Minister Rijiju, expressing grave concerns over the weaponisation of anti-conversion laws against religious minorities. "The anti-conversion law has been weaponised to target religious minorities," the delegation told the minister, urging immediate action.
The memorandum revealed disturbing figures: in 2023, the UCF recorded 733 incidents of violence against Christians, averaging 61 incidents per month. Even more alarmingly, in the first six months of 2024, 361 incidents targeting Christians have been reported. Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh emerged as the states with the highest number of incidents, with 96 and 92 cases, respectively.
The document detailed several harrowing incidents, including murders, assaults and false accusations under anti-conversion laws. In one case from March 2024, Christian families in Badeproda village, Chhattisgarh, were severely assaulted, their properties damaged, and they were forced from their homes. Despite filing police complaints, the victims received no support and are now in hiding due to death threats.
The memorandum also highlighted the murder of Kosa, a Christian tribal, from Kaparar, Chhattisgarh, allegedly by relatives due to his Christian faith. Similarly, in Nainanar village, Motiram and his father were viciously attacked for refusing to reconvert from Christianity. Disturbingly, women and children have not been spared from such violence. The murder of Bindu Sodhi in Dantewada district and the arrest of six Dalit women in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, under anti-conversion laws were cited as examples.
A C Michael, National Coordinator of UCF who was also part of the delegation, told Christian Today that the UCF will continue to raise these issues with the federal and state governments. “These incidents breach the constitutional rights of Christians and have caused fear and insecurity among the community members and cannot be ignored,” he said.
The Minister for Minority Affairs' office has not yet released an official statement regarding the meeting, but Mr. Rijiju shared the photographs of the meeting on his Facebook page.
The memorandum concluded with several recommendations for the government:
1. The Ministry of Home Affairs should provide training on human rights and religious freedom standards to state and central police and judiciary.
2. Although maintenance of public order is a state responsibility, the central government should issue an advisory to the state governments to repeal the anti- conversion laws.
3. The government should ensure that an active Commission for Human Rights and Commission for Minorities is operational in every state and that members of each commission are appointed through transparent and nonpartisan procedures.
4. Prevent and pursue, through the judicial process, all violent acts against religious and tribal minorities and Dalits.
5. Increase opportunities for dialogue between leaders of religious communities, legal experts, and civil society representatives to address any allegations of improper conversions in the states with anti-conversion laws.
6. Ensure adequate compensation to those who are targeted for their faith and have suffered loss of life and property and who have been wrongly accused under the anti-conversion laws.
7. Provide financial assistance and grants to Christian mission schools and colleges that offer nearly free education to tribal, Dalit, and economically disadvantaged children.
8. Urgently implement the recommendation of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities and ether bodies, to no longer use religion as a criterion for determining eligibility tor Scheduled Caste membership.
This meeting follows a recent encounter between Prime Minister Modi and a Roman Catholic delegation led by Archbishop Andrews Thazhath of Trichur on 12 July. The Church leaders expressed their concerns over the increasing hostility faced by Christians and sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to stop the atrocities.
