In Karnataka State, India, a Christian couple, Vijayalakshmi and Ashok Chavan, faced a violent attack by a mob on January 10. The assault occurred at a police station after false accusations of forced conversion were made against Vijayalakshmi. The police, allegedly unable to intervene, witnessed the attack. The couple, residents of Uppaladinni village, were targeted due to Vijayalakshmi’s Christian faith and her role as a government healthcare worker conducting community outreach.
The harassment extended beyond the physical assault on the Chavans, as villagers attempted to get Vijayalakshmi fired from her job. The local utility service also cut off power and water to Christian families attending the same church as the Chavans, accompanied by threats of violence if they continued to follow Christianity. This alarming pattern of discrimination and violence highlights the urgent need for authorities to address the growing hostility towards religious minorities in India.
Religious conversions are criminalized in Karnataka, and 11 other states in India, with increasing instances of anti-minority sentiment and violence. The attack on the Chavan couple is part of a disturbing trend, including mob violence, sexual violence, and harassment of religious minorities, particularly Christians and Muslims. Various organizations, including the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), have called for a congressional hearing to address the deteriorating situation.
The assault led to calls for increased international attention on religious persecution in India, with groups urging the U.S. State Department to designate India as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for religious liberty violations.
Recent Incident:
In a related incident, Hindutva activists reportedly climbed on top of Christian prayer halls in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district, hoisting saffron flags while chanting religious slogans. Videos of the incident went viral on social media, prompting Congress leader Digvijaya Singh to share visuals on Twitter. The incident took place on the day of inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.
What does the Data say?
In a distressing trend, violence against Christians in India has witnessed an unprecedented surge, raising serious concerns both nationally and internationally. Between 2012 and 2022, recorded incidents have increased fourfold, reaching a staggering 599 in 2022, as reported by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI).
The alarming escalation in violence took a significant turn in 2016, with 247 incidents documented in the EFI report. The numbers continued to rise in subsequent years, hitting 505 incidents in 2021 and surging further to 599 in 2022.
According to a recent report by the United Christian Forum (UCF), the year 2023 saw violence against Christians spreading across 23 states in India. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 155 incidents, followed by Chhattisgarh (84), Jharkhand (35), Haryana (32), Madhya Pradesh (21), Punjab (12), Karnataka (10), Bihar (9), Jammu & Kashmir (8), Gujarat (7), Uttarakhand (4), Tamil Nadu (3), West Bengal (3), Himachal Pradesh (3), Maharashtra (3), Odisha (2), Delhi (2), and Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, and Goa each recording one incident.
Disturbingly, Open Doors US reported a significant increase in violence against Christians in India in 2023. The number of killings rose from 17 in 2022 to a shocking 160 in 2023. Furthermore, the report revealed that 2,228 churches were attacked or closed in 2023, a drastic increase from the 67 incidents reported in 2022. The private property of 5,878 Christians was damaged or confiscated in 2023, compared to 180 in the previous year. Additionally, the number of Christians displaced skyrocketed to 62,119 in 2023, up from 834 in 2022.
India, known for its religious diversity, has Hindus comprising the majority at 71.8% of the 1.4 billion population, followed by Muslims at 14.9%, Christians at 5%, and 3.7% described as ethno-religious, as reported by Open Doors US, citing figures from the World Christian database in March 2023.
