The magnitude and intensity of persecution against Christians in India has reached critical levels.
Newsroom(07/04/2025 16:52, Gaudium Press) The Evangelical Fellowship of India Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC) confirmed 640 incidents of violence and discrimination against Christians in 2024. The total number of incidents reported to the commission, including those that were not proven, was 840, well above the 147 recorded in 2014.
A spokesperson for the organization warned that the real number could be much higher, as many victims do not report for fear of reprisals. “The magnitude and intensity of persecution against Christians in India has reached crisis levels,” declared Rev. Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. “Even with 840 reported incidents, of which we have been able to verify 640, these figures probably represent only a fraction of the actual events, as many go unreported due to intimidation and fear.”
Causes of attacks
These attacks on Christians occur in various ways: physical aggression, disruption of prayer meetings, destruction of churches, social boycotts in communities and even arrests. Hindu extremism, anti-conversion laws and mob attacks are the main causes of this persecution. Organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) promote a Hindu nationalist vision that associates Indian cultural identity exclusively with Hinduism, thus marginalizing minority communities such as Christians.
Attacks by violent groups are usually brutal, with physical aggression and destruction of property. Often, these acts are justified by unfounded accusations of attempts at forced conversion simply because of the celebration of Christian services. The anti-conversion laws in force in several Indian states serve, according to International Christian Concern’s Global Persecution Index, to “give a semblance of legitimacy to the claims of the mob and empower them to act violently against innocent Christians”.
With information from Persecution.org
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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