Raids on Christian prayer meets in BJP-ruled states spark rise in hostility

Within the first week of November, far-right workers along with police conducted several raids on Christian Sunday prayer meetings across the country. These raids were primarily conducted in Indian states ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

During the raids, Christian community members were arrested based on allegations of religious conversion.

Chhattisgarh

On November 4, a video from Raigarh went viral on social media platforms showing Tuteja interrogating a man about the Bible (a holy book for Christians) in his home and subsequently raiding the property with local right-wing members.

On November 6, members of the Rajwar community interrupted a state convention organized by the Rashtriya Christian Morcha accusing them of religious conversion activists. The incident occurred in Ambikapur city of Chhattisgarh. On information, police rushed to the spot and cut off sound equipment to prevent further communal disturbance.

On November 6, another incident took place in Ratanpur town when an inauguration of a church was disrupted by the Hindutva groups who alleged it was part of a conspiracy to convert Hindus. The event was abandoned amid police deployment to maintain law and order in the area.

On November 10, a massive protest led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anshu Tuteja erupted outside a pastor’s residence. The situation escalated when the crowd chanted slogans and accused the pastor of converting Hindus through”illegal prayer meetings”. Amid the chaos police intervened and arrested several protesters to control the situation.

On November 10, a similar case occurred in Durg city where members of the radical outfit Bajrang Dal raided a prayer held in a house. The group members created chaos and called the police who rushed to the scene and arrested seven Christian members. During the confrontation, the owner of the house claimed her daughter-in-law organised the gathering in their house.

Uttar Pradesh

On November 7, the Hindu Jankalyan Manch members led by national president Vijay Rawat raided a Christian prayer meeting in Haidergarh village alleging the community members of conducting illegal conversions through these gatherings. They also informed the local police resulting in the arrest of nine people under Uttar Pradesh’s anti-conversion laws.

On November 10, police raided a Christian prayer meeting in Siddharth Nagar after receiving complaints from right-wing groups. These groups alleged the meeting was part of a scheme to convert marginalised Hindu communities by offering financial incentives. Two Christian members were arrested during the operation.

Rajasthan

On November 3, members of the Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagaran Manch, and Azad Club raided a Christian prayer meeting and harassed the attendees accusing them of religious conversion by luring poor people with financial assistance.

Increasing hostility towards Christians

The incidents are not isolated but part of a wider trend of rising anti-Christian hostility in India, especially since the emergence of right-wing politics associated with the BJP. Reports indicate that over 585 recorded incidents targeting Christians have occurred since the start of 2023. Such accusations of religious conversion often serve as a pretext for violence and intimidation against the minority community.

Last year, the United Christian Forum (UCF) stated that 400 acts of violence against Christians occurred across 23 states in the first half of 2023, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 155 cases.

The UCF reported an alarming increase in incidences of violence against Christians since 2014. The following are the recorded numbers: 147 incidents in 2014, 177 incidents in 2015, 208 incidents in 2016, 240 incidents in 2017, 292 incidents in 2018, 328 incidents in 2019, 279 incidents in 2020, 505 incidents in 2021, 599 incidents in 2022, and now 400 occurrences in the first 190 days of 2023.

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Critics argue that these events are part of a broader campaign to marginalize religious pluralism statewide and beyond using legalized coercion but also Indian vigilante groups targeting non-Hindus. These sorts of incidents are not only alarming for the Christian community but also constitute serious challenges to the foundations of freedom and religious provisions.

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