4/2/2025 India (International Christian Concern) — The Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC) verified 640 incidents of violence and discrimination against Christians in India in 2024, which is more than quadruple the 147 cases recorded in 2014.
Though the commission was able to confirm 640 incidents of persecution, a total of 840 cases were actually reported. A spokesperson for the EFIRLC explained that there are likely many more Christians who have been victimized for their faith but are afraid to come forward.
“The scale and intensity of persecution against Christians in India has reached crisis levels,” Rev. Vijayesh Lal, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, stated. “Even with 840 reported incidents, of which we were able to verify 640, these numbers likely represent only a fraction of the actual incidents, as many go unreported due to intimidation and fear.”
Hindu extremism, anti-conversion laws, and mob attacks fuel much of the persecution against Christ followers in the nation. Groups like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believe in Hindu nationalism. At its core, the belief centers on the idea that Hinduism should be adhered to across India to maintain the nation’s cultural identity, thus marginalizing minority groups such as Christians.
Mob attacks against Christians frequently turn violent, with reports of aggressors beating Christ followers and destroying their property. The violence is often stoked by false accusations of Christians trying to forcibly convert non-Christians simply by holding church services.
The attackers cite anti-conversion laws on the books in many Indian states as justification for their actions. According to International Christian Concern’s Global Persecution Index, “for the mobs, the laws give a veneer of legitimacy to their grievances and empower them to act with violence against innocent Christians.”
Though many innocent Christ followers bravely persist in their faith, alarm bells continue to be raised as the horrendous abuse against them shows no signs of slowing down.
Christ followers have been physically assaulted, killed, and one extremist leader even called for them to be raped as punishment for eating cows, an animal sacred in Hinduism.
For interviews, please contact [email protected].
