In normal times, it would be the sort of conspiracy theory cooked up in the “deep fakes” laboratories of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the mother of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and alma mater of its most famous cadre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Core elements of these theories have abounded since independence, first peaking in 1956 in a swell so strong that even Jawaharlal Nehru, one of the founders of modern India and first prime minister, could not stop it. A senior leader of his Congress party and chief minister of the large Central provinces, Ravi Shankar Shukla, def ..read more

A Christian group in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district Tuesday alleged that police personnel were entering churches and collecting information, prompting the Assam police to clarify that this is part of an effort to ensure security of Christian institutions following a slew of threats in February. On Tuesday, the United Christian Forum of Diphu in Karbi Anglong wrote to the District Commissioner, alleging “unprecedented random collection of data of churches and its adherents” by police over the past week.They alleged that police personnel have been “barging into the Church premises” in Diphu town ..read more

Imphal (Agenzia Fides) – In Christian churches in Manipur, believers are praying “for real reconciliation and peace”, while in the north-east Indian state the tensions following the inter-ethnic violence that broke out a year ago are still felt: this is what was evident above all during the two election days for the Federal Parliament (April 19th and 26th), when the polling stations were almost completely deserted. In the last few days, the Manipur Catholic Youth Organization called for a prayer and solidarity meeting at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Imphal to mark the first anniversary of the vio ..read more

An Indian communist leader has reiterated the claim that ongoing ethnic violence against indigenous Christians in Manipur is “state-sponsored.”“It was a complete failure of the federal and state governments to check violence in Manipur that started in May last year,” said Annie Raja, a senior Communist Party of India leader at the May 10 Hindi-language premiere in New Delhi of a documentary on the troubled northeastern Indian state, bordering civil war-hit Myanmar. The pro-Hindu government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi “shrewdly carried out strategies to materialize its hidden corporate ..read more

The Indian government’s response to religious violence is “insufficient and ineffective” according to a major new report.The publication, by members of the Council of Experts advising the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA) comes a year after violence began in the north-east Indian state of Manipur. More than 60,000 people have been forced from their homes and as many as 500 church buildings destroyed as religious violence continues unabated. Systematic attacks against Christian communities have resulted in over 100 deaths. The violence has disproportionately affected th ..read more

India (MNN) — The U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recommended that India be designated as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). Its 2024 Annual Report released May 1, 2024 recommends adding five new countries to the 17 already on the CPC list. But the pushback from India against this designation has been swift and sharp. A spokesperson for the nation’s Ministry of External Affairs referred to the report as “propaganda,” and called USCIRF “a biased organization with a political agenda.” So what is going on? Tim Landis with FAR ..read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The General Conference of the United Methodist Church (UMC), which met in Charlotte, NC on April 30, 2024, overwhelmingly passed a resolution recognizing the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in India by the Hindu nationalist movement and calling on the US government to take action. The resolution focuses on the 2023 violence against tribal Christians in Manipur, India, where at least 120 people were killed by armed mobs operating with sanction of the state’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The UMC is the first ..read more

Christians in many parts of India are witnessing a significant rise in persecution as elections continue across the country. Incidents include physical assaults, arrests based on false allegations, forced ‘reconversion’ to Hinduism and attacks on Christian institutions. Priya Sharma*, a local Open Doors partner, notes that Christians are among the religious minorities who have been vocally targeted during election campaigning. “Political parties and leaders are giving hate speeches and provocative statements against each other and religious minorities,” she says. “We pray that individuals do n ..read more

The BJP in Kerala sounds very inclusive. They hardly direct their ire at the Christian community. Most of their fire is aimed at the ‘anti-national elements’ in the Muslim community. They also work feverishly to create a wedge between both prominent minority communities through various insidious plans and often with allegations pitting one against the other. Lately, they have been busy recruiting Christians to their cadre to display their diversity credentials. Are any of these overtures genuine? Is the BJP in Kerala a wolf in sheep’s clothing just to placate Christians to get a foothold in a ..read more

KOHIMA: In a distressing incident of vandalism, unidentified individuals wreaked havoc at Kinunger village, located in Mokokchung district of Nagaland, in the early hours of May 03. Situated approximately 20 kilometers from Mokokchung town of Nagaland, the village fell victim to a series of destructive acts.Reports indicate that the ordeal commenced at around 2 AM when two vacant houses were set ablaze, triggering a fire that engulfed the structures along with a nearby granary. Despite the efforts of the villagers and fire tenders, the inferno could only be subdued after causing sign ..read more