By Rishabh Jain
DELHI — As 2024 draws to a close, the Christian community in India reflects on a year marked by increasing challenges and persecution.
Data from various organizations paint a sobering picture of the difficulties faced by this religious minority, which comprises approximately 2.3% of the country’s population of 1.45 billion.
On June 24, Bindu Sodhi, a Christian resident from the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, was killed due to her faith. Villagers, including some of her close relatives, had been obstructing her from plowing a field because of her Christian beliefs. After lodging a police complaint against them, her family resumed their farming activities.
Later that evening, a group of villagers and relatives — armed with bows, arrows, axes and knives — launched a brutal attack. Bindu Sodhi was caught and killed, her throat slit during the assault. Following her death, her body was kept at a hospital in Dantewada, as the villagers refused to allow her burial on village land.
In another incident, this one in Punjab, a member of a church was brutally assaulted by religious extremists during a prayer service. The attack left him with critical injuries, including severe head trauma. He was hospitalized at a Christian medical college in Ludhiana. Despite receiving medical care, Bhagwan Singh succumbed to his injuries on Feb. 19.
These two incidents highlight the challenges faced by the Christian community in various parts of India. According to the data collected by the United Christian Forum, a human rights organization, a total of 585 attacks have happened against the Christian community through September 2024.
To address the growing violence against the Christian community, UCF also submitted a detailed report to Kiren Rijiju, a federal minister for minority affairs in India. The memorandum highlighted that a primary reason for these attacks had been false allegations of fraudulent conversions.
This story was originally published in religionunplugged.com. Read the full story here.