New Delhi, October 3, 2025 – A alarming escalation in violence against Christian communities in Uttar Pradesh has prompted urgent appeals from religious rights groups for federal intervention, as reports document hundreds of incidents across India this year alone. Activists warn that the state's stringent anti-conversion laws are being weaponized to fuel a pattern of harassment, arrests, and mob attacks, threatening India's secular fabric.
According to a mid-year report by the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIRLC), Uttar Pradesh recorded 95 verified cases of targeted violence against Christians between January and July 2025, contributing to a national tally of 334 incidents. This surge, concentrated in BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh—which together account for over half of all cases—includes disruptions of worship services, false accusations of forced conversions, and denial of basic rights such as burials. The report describes the attacks as "systematic and organized," often involving Hindu extremist groups monitoring church gatherings.
The United Christian Forum (UCF), a key advocacy group, has logged even higher figures, reporting 245 violent incidents nationwide from January to April 2025, with Uttar Pradesh leading at 50 cases. This averages out to roughly two attacks per day, a stark rise from 734 incidents in 2023 and 834 in 2024. In Uttar Pradesh, the epicenter under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the misuse of the state's amended anti-conversion law—hardened in 2021—has led to the first convictions of Christians earlier this year, including a couple sentenced for alleged proselytizing.
Eyewitness accounts paint a grim picture. In one July incident in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh—mirroring patterns in neighboring Uttar Pradesh—six pastors were detained and beaten without charges against their assailants. Social media posts from affected communities highlight similar ordeals in Uttar Pradesh, including a January wave of 301 attacks that year, predominantly in rural areas targeting tribal Christians and women.
The violence has ignited calls for immediate federal action. The EFIRLC report demands that the central government review anti-conversion laws to align with constitutional protections and direct law enforcement to safeguard minority rights without bias. "Authorities must prevent extremist groups from disrupting religious freedoms with impunity," the report states, emphasizing that documented cases likely underrepresent the true scale due to fear of reprisals.
In a parallel plea, Indian Christian leaders urged the Vatican for "urgent intervention" during a July visit by Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Holy See's envoy to India. The appeal highlighted rising mob lynchings and church vandalism in northern states like Uttar Pradesh, calling on global Catholic networks to pressure New Delhi for accountability. This comes amid broader concerns over Hindu nationalist policies under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has governed since 2014 and overseen a 700% increase in anti-Christian violence over the past decade.
Northern India's spike—particularly in Uttar Pradesh—has cast a shadow on the BJP's outreach efforts in Christian-heavy regions like Kerala, where the party has sought alliances with local clergy. Critics argue that electoral pragmatism in some states contrasts sharply with the unchecked extremism in others.
As the festive season approaches, Christian leaders in Uttar Pradesh express fears of heightened tensions. "We seek not confrontation but protection under the law," said a UCF spokesperson, echoing broader demands for federal oversight to curb what they term a "viral hate" epidemic. The central government has yet to respond to these appeals, but rights groups vow to escalate monitoring through helplines and international advocacy.
This wave of persecution underscores deepening fault lines in India's diverse society, where minority communities increasingly look to New Delhi for redress amid state-level inaction.
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