By Matters India Reporters
New Delhi, June 3, 2026: A nationwide concerned citizens tribunal has heard evidence of widespread violence, social boycott and institutional complicity in attacks on Christians across India.
Convened by Karwan-e-Mohabbat and a collective of citizens at the Constitution Club in New Delhi on June 1, the People’s Tribunal on Violence Against Christians in India, documented what members described as a “systematic campaign of exclusion” threatening constitutional guarantees of equal citizenship.
The proceedings followed field visits in Chhattisgarh and Odisha earlier this year, where tribunal members met hundreds of affected persons. Survivors, lawyers, researchers and human rights defenders presented testimony of escalating hostility, particularly against Adivasi and Dalit Christians.
Karwan-e-Mohabbat, also known as the “Caravan of Love,” is a nationwide civilian campaign launched in 2017 to stand in solidarity with victims of mob lynching and communal violence in India. Founded by human rights activist Harsh Mander, the initiative travels across states offering legal, social, and livelihood support to survivors of hate crimes.
Patterns of violence
The tribunal examined attacks on places of worship, pastors and priests, expulsions from villages, denial of burial rights, and economic boycotts.
A documentary film screened during the session highlighted incidents in Madhya Pradesh, including “attacks on prayer meetings, intimidation of pastors and worshippers, arrests under anti-conversion laws, social ostracisation and the pervasive climate of fear.”
Veteran journalist and social activist John Dayal situated the violence within a longer history, recalling the murder of Graham Staines and his sons in Odisha and the Kandhamal violence. He warned that “constitutional guarantees of freedom of conscience, religion and equal citizenship were increasingly under threat.”
Social boycott and denial of rights
Speakers described how accusations of religious conversion have become a recurring pretext for violence. Rev. Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, noted a “sharp rise in reported incidents over the past decade,” including denial of burial rights and expulsions.
Siju Thomas, a lawyer and Christian rights advocate, focused on social and economic boycotts, describing how “denial of access to community resources, social isolation, displacement and restrictions on burial rights have become instruments of coercion.”
He warned of the misuse of laws such as the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act to target Christian Adivasis.
Father Ajay Singh from Odisha presented evidence of systematic denial of burial rights, recounting cases where “funeral processions were obstructed, burial in village graveyards was denied, and even the bodies of deceased Christians were allegedly removed and buried against the wishes of their families.”
Institutional failure
Degree Chouhan from Chhattisgarh, known for his grassroots work with Dalit and Adivasi communities on land rights, displacement, and minority protections, highlighted the gap between the scale of violence and the official response.
“The low number of First Information Reports registered in comparison with the hundreds of incidents reported annually,” he said.
He cited police inaction and delayed investigations as evidence of institutional failure.
Survivor testimonies described arbitrary arrests under anti-conversion laws, threats, forced displacement, closure of places of worship, and intimidation by organized groups.
Several accounts pointed to police officers registering cases against victims or pressuring communities into “compromise agreements.”
Voices of concern
Senior journalist Pamela Philipose described the testimonies as “markers of deeply disturbing times” and called for sustained public engagement.
Irfan Ali Engineer, a writer, activist, and public intellectual, praised the “extraordinary courage and resilience” of survivors who testified despite intimidation.
Social activist and campaigner Vidya Dinker urged church leaders to show greater solidarity, noting that “many survivors continued to resist persecution with remarkable dignity despite inadequate institutional support.”
Syeda Hameed, women’s rights activist and former member of the Planning Commission of India, expressed concern over repeated denial of burial rights, calling it “one of the most degrading and inhumane forms of discrimination.”
Historian Tanika Sarkar, a leading historian of modern India, warned against the “normalisation of majoritarian intolerance and the shrinking space for religious freedom and democratic citizenship.”
Call to action
Concluding the proceedings, Karwan-e-Mohabbat founder Harsh Mander stated that the incidents “could not be understood as isolated acts of prejudice or spontaneous expressions of hostility.”
Instead, he said they revealed “a systematic campaign of exclusion that threatened the constitutional promise of equal citizenship.” He urged citizens, institutions and governments to act urgently to defend fundamental freedoms.
The tribunal’s findings underscore growing concerns about the erosion of constitutional protections for religious minorities in India.
(Photo supplied)