New Delhi: The year 2022 has witnessed the highest number of hate crimes against the Christians in India recording 511 incidents of violence against members of the minority community.
The data released by New Delhi based United Christian Forum (UCF) showed that the violence against Indian Christians has been at all-time high as 2022 has so far seen highest spike in number of incidents. It said as the year approaches Christmas, Christians in India continue to bear the onslaught of targeted violence for their faith.
As per the records of UCF helpline, there is a higher growth in terms of year-on-year increase in violence as against 505 incidents of violence against Christians in 2021 to 511 in 2022 till 21st November, the data said.
The UCF said, in the last eight years, since Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, as per the reports recorded on UCF helpline, the incidents of violence against Christians have been reporting a sharp and continuous increase. It recorded 148 incidents in 2014, 183 in 2015, 216 in 2016, 248 in 2017, 292 in 2018, 328 in 2019, 279 in 2020 (perhaps the COVID pandemic gave some relief to Indian Christians), 505 in 2021 and 511 incidents in 2022 till 21st November.
“It’s not just year-on-year growth, but even month-on-month the violence perpetrators have bettered their own targeted objectives of harassing ordinary peace loving citizens,” it said.
The UCF said Uttar Pradesh with 149 such incidents, Chhattisgarh 115 and Jharkhand 48 incidents of violence against the minority community have become the top three states where the highest number of violent incidents against Christians were reported this year.
It maintained that in almost all the incidents reported across India, vigilante mobs comprising Hindu extremists have been seen either intruding into a prayer gathering or rounding up individuals who, they believed, were involved in forcible religious conversions. Such mobs criminally threaten and/or physically assault people during prayer with impunity before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversion, it added.
The UCF said, often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations as the police remain mute spectators. Sadly, this violence against the Christian community is compounded by the failure of the police to investigate and prosecute mobs and perpetrators who indulge in such crimes, it said.
According to the UCF, a total of 79 FIRs lodged against pastors on false allegations of conversions under the Freedom of Religion Act in six states of India wherein such laws exist. Several members of the community are in jail and bail has been repeatedly denied. Those getting bail are still found incarcerated due to bureaucratic delays and the prolonged process of release.
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