Christian persecution watchdog Open Doors says it’s a very tough time to be a Christian in India.
The country’s Supreme Court recently advised against Hindus converting to other faiths.
It directed the government to step in and handle the “very dangerous” issue of forced conversions, saying it may impact on the security of the nation and freedom of religion and conscience.
Currently, religious conversion is not prohibited by national law and every citizen has a right to choose and profess any religion of choice.
However, Hindu nationalists have long accused Christians and Muslims of targeting marginalised lowest caste people known as Dalits as well as tribal Hindus.
They claim they’re offered bribes of food or money to convert to Christianity.
That’s prompted several Hindu-majority states to pass their own anti-conversion laws which impose fines and jail terms for anyone convicted of a “forced conversion.”
Open Doors’ Lisa Gentile told Premier Christian News there is no evidence of widespread forced conversion to Christianity or Islam in India.
She said being a Christian in India means that you might be falsely accused of forcibly converting someone at any point.
Despite the escalation in persecution an Indian pastor has grown his church from a congregation of just three to more than 35,000.
Reverend Paul Thangiah launched his Assemblies of God church in Bangalore, now known as Bengaluru, 40 years ago.
This story was originally published in vision.org.au . Read the full story here