Christian Persecution in India – A Crisis of Rights and Conscience

In recent years, Christians in India have increasingly found themselves under pressure — not just social or cultural pressure, but legalised, state-aided, and violent persecution that raises serious questions about whether India remains the open, democratic society it claims to be.

Legal Framework & State-Legislated Restrictions

Several Indian states have enacted what are commonly called “anti-conversion laws” or unlawful-conversion statutes — laws that purport to prohibit conversion from one religion to another if alleged to be by “force, fraud, allurement or coercion.” What once might have been controversial but rare legislation has, under the rule of Narendra Modi’s government and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led states, become increasingly severe and sweeping.

• The state of Uttar Pradesh passed the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021, making unapproved religious conversions non-bailable offences, jail time up to 10 years (and under amendment, life in prison) and mandatory official approval for conversion by marriage. Morningstar News+3Wikipedia+3christianitytoday.com+3
• The state of Uttarakhand recently approved what has been called India’s harshest anti-conversion law, expanding penalties to life imprisonment, criminalising social-media religious outreach (‘propaganda’) and giving police seizure powers and arrest without warrant. Morningstar News+1
• The state of Rajasthan has adopted (or is adopting) a bill to make conversions subject to prior permission, non-bailable offences, and severe punishments especially where minors, women or tribal (SC/ST) populations are involved. christiannews.net+1
• A pattern emerges: at least ten states (Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka) have laws or are planning laws of this kind. christianitytoday.com+1

These laws are not simply administrative burdens — they are tools which, according to Christian leaders, are being used to criminalise basic religious freedom, to intimidate churches, pastors and believers, especially in states where Christians are a tiny minority. The burden of proof is often reversed (the accused must prove they did not coerce), property and organisations can be penalised, and the definitions of “allurement” or “undue influence” are vague enough to encompass normal Christian ministry (medical help, education, charity). Morningstar News+1

Violent Attacks, Harassment and Intimidation

Legal restrictions are only part of the story. Across India there have been documented instances of violence, harassment and mob attacks on Christian pastors, congregations and churches — often carried out or supported by Hindu-nationalist groups such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and other affiliated organisations, sometimes with collusion or negligence by local police or state authorities.

Some concrete examples:

• In June 2025 in Borsi village (Dhamtari District), in the state of Chhattisgarh, a Christian service was disrupted by around 15 assailants who stormed the church, shouted “Jai Shri Ram”, carried wooden rods, burned Bibles, beat worshippers and left the pastor unconscious. www.christiantoday.com
• In March 2023, a pastor in Andhra Pradesh (near Medak district) was reportedly lured by police then assaulted by RSS activists in a remote forest. This suggests collusion between authorities and extremist elements. christiantoday.co.in
• In some tribal states, Christians report being told to renounce their faith or face expulsion from villages; denial of burial rights has been used as a tool of humiliation; tribal certificate status (which entitles one to jobs/education) has been revoked from Christians, affecting their socio-economic rights. christianitytoday.com
• Classical flare-ups of communal violence occurred earlier, such as the 2008 riot in Kandhamal (Odisha) where hundreds of churches were destroyed, thousands of homes torched, Christian families driven out. Wikipedia+1

What’s Wrong With This in a Democracy?

If India is to call itself a modern, democratic society — “the world’s largest democracy” — then the following issues must be raised:

• Religious freedom is guaranteed under the Indian Constitution (Article 25 provides for freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion). Yet these laws and attacks are eroding that freedom in practice.
• Equal protection under the law: the anti-conversion laws often exempt “re-conversion to Hinduism”, or treat conversions to Hinduism differently than away. That creates a two-tier system of rights — one for the Hindu majority and another for minority faiths. christiannews.net
• The rule of law requires that laws be applied fairly, with due process. These statutes allow for arrest without warrant, seizure of property based on suspicion, heavy penalties, reversal of proof, and vague definitions — all of which enable abuse. Morningstar News+1
• In a truly democratic society, minority communities should be protected, not targeted and sidelined. The systemic targeting of Christians, especially converts and tribal believers, raises serious questions about India’s commitment to pluralism.
• The silence or passivity of the central government raises the question of whether the state is merely failing to protect minority rights — or is in complicit compliance with religious-majoritarian agendas. When minority rights violations are allowed to proceed unchecked, the “democracy” label becomes hollow.

The Role of the Modi Government and Majoritarian Organisations

While much of the legislation is state-level, the governing party at the centre (BJP) and organisations aligned with Hindu nationalist ideology (e.g., the RSS) provide the ideological backdrop. Christian advocates argue that the lack of a strong, unequivocal central government response to violence and legislation targeting Christians demonstrates at best negligence and at worst tacit support. The pattern of majoritarian politics under Modi has signalled to extremist groups that persecution may happen with impunity.

In short: if India truly wants to belong to the modern, civilised community of nations that cares about all minorities — not simply the Hindu majority — then Prime Minister Modi’s government must act decisively to protect Christians (and other faith-minorities), repeal or reform draconian anti-conversion laws, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure police and judiciary independence, and reaffirm its democratic, pluralistic credentials.

A Call to the United States and Leadership of President Donald Trump

If the U.S., a country which positions itself as a global defender of religious freedom, remains silent in the face of such large-scale minority persecution, then the voices of the voiceless are abandoned. We urge President Trump and the American administration to:

• Speak up for persecuted Christians in India. Use the power of the U.S. State Department, the Congressional hearings and foreign-policy tools to make this issue visible.
• Condition bilateral cooperation, trade, or strategic partnerships on human-rights benchmarks, including religious-freedom protections and accountability for violence.
• Support civil-society organisations and international mechanisms that document and publicise these rights violations — because silence emboldens the bullies.
• Stand alongside Indian Christians, tribal believers and minority communities who often suffer quietly, without global attention.

If America is to be the world’s moral conscience, then it must speak up for the helpless, not just the comfortable. Mr. President — stand up to the bullies.

Summary

This is not simply an internal Indian issue; it is a global human-rights concern. When laws are passed to criminalise religious conversion, when churches are burned, when pastors are beaten, when tribal believers are pushed off their land or denied rights — and when the majoritarian-led state does little or nothing — then the democratic claim of the nation is undermined. India must change course. For the sake of its millions of Christians, for the sake of its minorities and for the sake of its global standing, the Modi government must demonstrate that pluralism and religious freedom remain central to its identity. Otherwise this steady trend of persecution will mark India not as a beacon of democracy, but as a cautionary tale.