By Ainee Ilyas
The report produced by the United Christian Forum (UCF) brings out a darker picture of the social reality of Christian persecution in India, where there were 673 attacks up to the end of October 2024.
More shockingly, only 47 FIRs were registered for these incidents which point towards total negligence of the law enforcement agencies and a rising trend of culprits roaming scot-free.
A nationwide crisis
The extremism towards Christians has over time become part and parcel of religious bigotry that has been experienced in the past decade. In 2014, there were less than 100 reports, though, by 2018; there was an increase to 292. This upward trend has continued; according to the data, the approximate figures reached 750 in 2023. This aggravation of the existing conflicts reveals the need to develop more discussion on the problems of interfaith relations and to increase interfaith and intrareligious tolerance. According to AC Michael, the National Coordinator of UCF, it is clear that this has now developed into a systematic kind of attack on Christianity with each state in the country averaging two attacks per day.
According to Makhtoob Media’s article, 23 states of India have recorded violence against Christians. The incidents are highest in Uttar Pradesh, 182 which is followed by Chattisgarh, 139. The nature of these incidences is worrying; they cut across the spectrum, from physical attacks, killings, sexual harassment, threats, social exclusion, and vandalism. There is also information in the report on the particular threats to vulnerable sectors of the Christian community ‒ women and the marginalised; twelve of the reported cases involved a woman as a victim, and others targeted Dalit and tribal Christians.
Systemic failures in law enforcement
It is one of the most concerning issues of this crisis, as the law enforcement system seems to fail at both preventing and prosecuting, leaving victims unprotected. From the 673 cases reported, FIRs registered were only 47, which means all the other cases were unproperly addressed. Michael complains that police forces persecute victims and arrest pastors on silly charges rather than taking action against crimes that are committed against Christians. This pattern has been seen in the broader society in India where state machinery is being increasingly employed to wipe out minorities.
This story was originally published in feminisminindia.com. Read the full story here.