Rising attacks on Christians in India are not good for its global image
December 27, 2025 04:15 PM IST
First published on: Dec 27, 2025 at 04:14 PM IST
On November 23, 2024, Pastor Pranjal Bhuyan of Golaghat Baptist Church was arrested on a false accusation under the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Act. He was the first person to be arrested under this new law. He was released on bail six days after the FIR was lodged. In May this year, the district court dismissed the case.
While the world celebrates Christmas, it seems to be a low-key affair in a number of states in our country, where miscreants are attacking Christians in their homes and places of worship.
Many cases of false allegations of conversion have led to the arrest of Christians. Currently, 12 states have stringent anti-conversion laws that make it difficult for anyone to wriggle out of the net after being incarcerated. The right to practise, profess, and propagate any religion enshrined in Article 25(1) is set aside by these overpowering legislations. Matters have come to such a pass that even possession of the Bible or any Christian literature is interpreted as an effort to convert others. A simple gathering to celebrate the birthdays of children is enough to haul up the inmates and take them to the police station.
Available data (compiled by the United Christian Forum (UCF) and the Evangelical Fellowship of India) shows that attacks on Christians in India are on the rise. While there were 147 incidents of violence in 2014, the number shot up to 177 the following year, 208 in 2016, 240 in 2017, 292 in 2018, and 328 in 2019. It slid down to 279 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 lockdown, but rose sharply to 505 the following year. In 2022, there were as many as 599 incidents, which increased to 601 in 2023 and 840 in 2024. Till November this year, 702 incidents were reported. These incidents include intimidation and threats, physical violence, murder, social boycott, disruption of worship services, and desecration of religious items, including Bibles. In the violent incidents that roiled Manipur in May 2023, 249 churches were razed to the ground in the Meitei-dominated valley.
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With 183 incidents of violence against Christians till November this year, Uttar Pradesh tops the list, while Chhattisgarh comes next with 156 incidents. Karnataka reported 57 incidents; Rajasthan 49; Madhya Pradesh 40; Jharkhand 36; Haryana and Bihar, 28 each; Andhra Pradesh 23; West Bengal 22; while Punjab and Maharashtra recorded 19 and 10 incidents, respectively.
These figures are not exhaustive, as many attacks on churches go unreported. The arrest of two Catholic nuns at Durg railway station, along with three tribal women who were going to Agra on July 25, hogged the media limelight. This incident led to political leaders rushing to the district for their release. After nine days, they were released on bail.
For the last few years, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has been recommending that the US government designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern.” Such recommendations dent our global image.
As the world’s largest democracy, with people of different languages, religions, and castes, we need to protect our secular fabric. There is a need to bridle fundamentalist elements who are targeting Christians. The police need to be fair in their dealings with such communal forces by taking action against the attackers rather than the victims. Prompt action against those who tend to disturb the peace will deter other miscreants.
Christians need to be made to feel secure. Political leaders and influencers must make all-out efforts to promote communal harmony. Only then will Christians be able to celebrate Christmas in a peaceful manner.
The writer is Inspector General of Police (Retd), CRPF
