UP, Karnataka lead cases of violence against Christians in India

Violence against Christians is on the rise in India, the United Christian Forum said on Tuesday (February 15), with Uttar Pradesh leading persecution of the minority community in the country.

Last year 505 cases of violence against Christians were reported in India, said the non-profit working for the protection of human rights. 

UP reported the largest number of cases, 105, it said. The next two states in the list were Chhattisgarh and Karnataka, with 91 and 62 cases each. Jharkhand (46) Madhya Pradesh (39), Bihar (30), Tamil Nadu (21) and Odisha (20) also reported significant number of cases of violence against the minority community, according to UCF.

According to data provided by the organisation, violence against Christians has seen a steady increase since 2014, when the Narendra Modi government came to power.

In the first 45 days of 2022 (till February 14), 53 cases of violence against Christians have been reported.

“Our appeal to the Centre and state governments and also to respective states and national minority commissions is to look into these reports and conduct appropriate investigation and take action against culprits to send out a message that our country still believes in federal and secular structures, so that every person living in this country enjoys full freedom to practise one’s faith freely as guaranteed under the Constitution of India,” A C Michael, national coordinator of the UCF and former member of the Commission for Minorities in Delhi, told The Federal.