India’s Christians suffered an alarming escalation of violence, hatred and systematic oppression last year, according to the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India.
The 601 cases of persecution against Christians in India in 2023 marked a 45% increase over the 413 instances recorded the previous year, the report said.
While no area of India was unaffected, several emerged as hotspots. Uttar Pradesh state remained the most hostile environment with 275 incidents, up from 147 the previous year. Chhattisgarh saw 132 cases, actually a decrease from the previous year’s 141, while Haryana had 44 incidents, up from 22 the prior year.
‘Rapidly deteriorating situation’
“The rapidly deteriorating situation for religious minorities is a matter of grave concern,” EFI General Secretary Rev. Vijayesh Lal told Morning Star News. “Christians, especially pastors in rural areas, faced assaults, disrupted prayers and damaged places of worship throughout the past year.”
The grim findings come atop data from the United Christian Forum showing persecution has continued unabated into 2024. The UCF documented an additional 161 incidents of violence against Christians from Jan. 1 to March 15, including 70 cases in January, 62 in February and 29 in just the first half of March.
Christians in 19 states across India have faced “threats to life” for practicing their faith during the first three months of 2024, the UCF noted. It identified Chhattisgarh as an extreme hotspot, with 47 of the 161 recent incidents, the highest of any state. Uttar Pradesh followed with 36 cases.
India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Modi came to power.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
