By Jose Kavi

New Delhi, July 12, 2023: Christian community in India has suffered as many as 400 incidents of violence in the first half 2023, says the United Christian Forum, an ecumenical group.

A press statement from the forum titled, “Atrocities against Christians in India increasing drastically year on year,” says the incidents have occurred in 23 of India’s 28 states.

A forum official told Matters India July 11 that they have not included the northeastern Indian state of Manipur where ethnic violence allegedly targeting Christians has raged since May 3.

During the same period last year, the forum recorded 274 such incidents against Christians in India. January topped last year’s chart with 121 incidents (almost 4 incidents a day), followed by 40 in May, 31 in February, 29 in April, 28 in March and 25 in June.

However, the Indian government disputes the figures as wrong data used to sully the image of the country abroad.

On April 13, the government said this while responding to a public interest litigation filed by Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore Reverend Vijayesh Lal of Evangelical Fellowship of India, and others who claimed violence against Christians in the country.

Archbishop Machado and others in their petition had told a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that from 2021 to May 2022, 700 cases of violence against Christians were reported and a majority of those arrested were followers of the faith.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the government, referred to a report containing the case data received from states like Bihar and Chhattisgarh and said most of them related to disputes involving neighbours and, coincidentally, one of the parties happened to be a Christian.

“The petitioner claimed that there are some 500 incidents where Christians were attacked. We sent everything to the state governments. We collated all the information we got. First let us see Bihar. The total number of cases, which petitioners gave, is related to internal fights between neighbors where one of the parties happens to be a Christian.”

The government response has not deterred the forum’s attempt to record violence against Christians.

“All these 400 incidents of violence against Christians are spread across the length and breadth of our country, irrespective of which political party is in power,” the forum clarifies.

Uttar Pradesh, it says, leads the states this year with 155, mostly in six districts — 13 in Jaunpur, 11 each in Rae Bareilly and Sitapur, 10 in Kanpur and 9 each in Azamgarh and Kushinagar districts.

“But the highest number of incidents of violence against Christians in a district has gone to Bastar in Chhattisgarh with 31 incidents,” the July 11 statement points out.

This year, June has witnessed the highest number of incidents against Christians with 88 (almost 3 incidents a day) followed by 66 incidents in March, 63 in February, 62 in January, 50 in May and 47 in April, the forum says.

Among other states, Chhattisgarh recorded 84, Jharkhand 35, Haryana 32, Madhya Pradesh 21, Punjab 12, Karnataka 10, Bihar 9, Jammu & Kashmir 8, Gujarat 7, and Uttarakhand 4. Three each was reported from Tamil Nadu 3, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, two each from Odisha and Delhi and one each from Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, and Goa.

The forum, based on its records, says the incidents of violence against Christians have increased sharply and steadily since 2014: 147 incidents in 2014, 177 in 2015, 208 in 2016, 240 in 2017, 292 in 2018, 328 in 2019, 279 in 2020,505 in 2021, 599 in 2022 and 400 incidents in first 190 days of 2023.

The form describes as ironic that the Christians, who have suffered all these atrocities, now face more police cases that their attackers.

As many as 63 FIRs are lodged against Christians on false allegations of conversions under the Freedom of Religion Act. The accused include 35 pastors who are still in Jail with bails being denied repeatedly.

“Moreover, those who are getting bail find themselves still incarcerated due to bureaucratic delays in processing their release. Several representations by leaders of the Christian community to the President, Prime Minister and the Home Minister are still awaiting any response,” the forum laments.

The matter came up for hearing on July 10 and the government opposed the forum’s petition.

“Our advocate Colin Gonsalves submitted an interim prayer for SIT comprising officers outside the respective states to register FIRs, investigate and prosecute; police protection prayer meetings conducted by the Christian community and to provide legal aid to all the victims,” the form explains.

The next hearing of the petition is scheduled for July 14.