India witnessed at least two attacks against Christians on each day this year, a sharp hike compared with 2014 when the pro-Hindu party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, an anti-persecution group has said.
"This is despite Article 25 of the Indian Constitution guaranteeing the right to choose any religion of one's choice," said A C Michael, convenor of the New Delhi-based United Christian Forum (UCF) that tracks violence against Christians in India.
Eleven out of 28 Indian states, most of them ruled by Modi's party -- the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -- have enacted anti-conversion laws ironically naming them as "freedom of religion acts," he said.
The anti-conversion law stipulates that conversion candidates inform district authorities of their plan to change religion 30 days before the planned conversion ceremony.
Candidates also have to prove that they have not been forced or "allured" into changing faith. Violators face a jail term of up to five years and a fine.
Under the sweeping law, a person is expected to seek "permission from the government to follow a religion of his/her choice by filing a written application," Michael told UCA News.
He said the UCF has collected details on 687 incidents of violence against Christians from 23 states up to November this year.
This translates into "two incidents per day in a secular and democratic country!"
There were 147 cases of violence against Christians in 2014 when Modi came to power for the first time, but since then, the figures have steadily increased the inter-denominational body said in a statement.
Out of the 687 incidents this year, 531 cases took place in four northern states. Uttar Pradesh (287), Chhattisgarh (148), Jharkhand (49) and Haryana (47), the statement said.
Except for Jharkhand, the anti-conversion law is in full force in the three other states.
In almost all cases, vigilante mobs comprising religious extremists and backed by the pro-Hindu government and police, barge into prayer gatherings or round up individuals alleging forcible conversions.
Religious persecution of minorities has already earned enough criticism for India from the international community and the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
The UCF said India is ranked as "the 11th worst country on earth for the persecution of Christians" in the annual ranking by Open Doors' World Watch List 2023.
India will hold national elections in 2024 and Modi is seeking a third consecutive term in office. Christians make up just 2.4 percent of India's massive population of 1.4 billion.
Source: UCA News0 COMMENTS
