New Delhi.– There have been more than 160 cases of attacks on Christians so far this year in India, while 122 have been arrested on charges of religious conversion, a Christian rights advocacy group said Thursday.
«The first 75 days of 2024 has seen a large-scale erosion of basic fundamental rights and protection of Indian Christians,» the United Christian Forum (UCF) said in a statement.
Between Jan. 1 and Mar. 15, «161 incidents of violence against Christians were reported on the UCF toll-free helpline number,» the group said.
UCF said 70 cases were reported in January, 62 in February, and another 29 in the first 15 days of March.
The central state of Chhattisgarh saw the highest number of attacks, with 47 cases.
Christians were denied access to public bore wells and were stopped from performing burial rituals according to their faith, the forum said.
The northern state of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous in India, recorded the second-highest number of violent incidents with 36 cases.
«There is clear evidence of state-sponsored harassment of Christians in this state as the police file false allegations of conversion against the pastors, even for praying at birthday parties and other social gatherings.»
Additionally, 122 Christians were arrested across the country on «false allegations of conversions,» the forum said.
Christians living in at least 19 Indian states face «threat to their lives for practicing their faith,» UCF said, urging the government to take strict action against perpetrators of violence.
India ranks as the 11th worst country on earth for the persecution of Christians in the annual ranking by Open Doors, a non-denominational Christian group supporting persecuted Christians worldwide.
In this Hindu-majority country, abandoning the Hindu faith could result in social exclusion, discrimination, violence and, sometimes, even death.
