Violence against the Muslim minority has become a common occurrence in our country. While its form and intensity vary, the process of intimidating Muslims never truly halts. However, the second-largest minority community, Christians, is also not spared, though reports of violence against them emerge only sporadically. The primary reason for this is that the violence often occurs at such a localized level that it remains under the radar. Yet, around Christmas, this hostility becomes unmistakably visible.
We recall the 1990s when violence broke out in Odisha and Gujarat. Around that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee remarked that a national debate on conversions was necessary. Religious conversion has remained the primary pretext for attacking various events associated with the Christian community. Incidents of violence are most frequent during prayer meetings, church gatherings, and festive celebrations. This year, too, violence marred Christmas-related programs.
For Hindutva ground activists, attacking vendors selling Christmas merchandise like caps and clothes on pavements seemed like a form of celebration. In several places, they demolished statues of Santa Claus, damaged churches, and ransacked shops selling Christmas items.
Columnist Tavleen Singh noted in the Indian Express that emboldened Hindutva foot soldiers entered churches, disrupting prayers with acts of violence and barbarism. They even uploaded videos of these "achievements" to social media. In one such video, a BJP leader in Jabalpur is seen entering a church and aggressively threatening a visually impaired woman, accusing her of attempting to convert Hindus to Christianity.
There were nearly 100 documented attempts to disrupt Christmas celebrations, almost all of them in BJP-ruled states. No one was punished, and no Chief Minister openly criticized the violence.
Reports of these incidents reached the international media. Some newspapers even suggested the possibility of retaliatory violence against Hindus in other countries. The most striking aspect of the Indian government’s attitude toward these events is its absolute silence. It is no coincidence that the majority of these incidents occur in states governed by the BJP. We are told our Prime Minister is "non-biological," and perhaps that is why he can still find the time to offer prayers in a church amidst all this. It was a fascinating irony: while the supreme leader of Hindutva showed respect for Christianity inside a church, his followers were engaging in anti-Christian hooliganism on the streets and inside other places of worship.
A report by Citizens for Justice and Peace (December 24, 2025) provides a substantive account of the massive spike in anti-Christian violence. Between 2014 and 2024, documented incidents of anti-Christian violence rose from 139 to 834 annually, representing an increase of over 500 percent. In 2025 alone, from January to November, more than 700 such incidents were reported in homes, churches, schools, hospitals, and other institutions. Dalit and Tribal Christians, particularly women, were the most affected. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in its 2025 report, cited the worsening state of religious freedom and once again recommended that India be designated as a "Country of Particular Concern." Human Rights Watch and other organizations have also documented events affecting minorities.
Violence just before Christmas is not a new phenomenon. In Raipur, Catholic Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur was so concerned that he wrote to local churches, schools, and institutions urging caution. He noted that in light of calls for a "Chhattisgarh Bandh" on Christmas Day, institutions should request police protection. He warned that there appeared to be plans to replicate the 2008 Kandhamal-style violence in Odisha.
In 2007 and 2008, Odisha witnessed severe violence around Christmas. This sponsored violence turned horrific in 2008, forcing nearly 7,000 Christians to flee their homes and resulting in the vandalism of 400 churches. Against this backdrop, one would expect church leadership at various levels to voice serious concern over these attacks. However, their silence on such a grave issue suggests either a lack of concern for their community or some hidden vested interests.
We have observed state after state passing anti-conversion laws, ironically titled "Freedom of Religion Acts." These have created various obstacles and hardships for the religious activities of the Christian community. Pastors and priests are frequently arrested on allegations of conversion, finding themselves entangled in futile legal battles for years.
The propaganda regarding Christian conversions needs to be examined. Christianity in India is ancient, arriving via St. Thomas on the Malabar Coast in 52 AD. The popular perception that it arrived with British rule is baseless. From 52 AD until the 2011 census, the Christian population stood at 2.3 percent of the total population. No one claims that not a single instance of forced conversion has ever occurred—it may have happened in isolated pockets. However, census data between 1971 and 2011 tells a revealing story: in 1971, Christians were 2.60 percent; in 1981, 2.44 percent; in 1991, 2.34 percent; and in 2011, 2.30 percent. These figures bring the reality to light.
Pastor Graham Stans was accused of engaging in conversions before he and his two sons, Timothy and Philip, were burnt alive. The Wadhwa Commission, which investigated this horrific murder, stated clearly in its report that there had been no increase in the number of Christians in Keonjhar, where Pastor Stans served leprosy patients.
Christian missions run numerous educational institutions and hospitals that are immensely popular. Conversions are more frequent among Tribal and Dalit communities who struggle to access education and healthcare in remote areas. It is likely that many conversions occurred during the quest to obtain these basic facilities.
The atmosphere of hatred being built through allegations of conversion has taken a pervasive form. The attacks on Christmas programs are terrifying. In such cases, the government remains silent and inactive. A major reason for the rise in anti-Christian violence is the complicity of the state machinery. This year's attacks expose the double standards of the ruling party—visiting churches for prayer on one hand, while giving goons a free hand to vandalize them on the other.
One hopes for a global outcry against this violence. Religious freedom must be maintained in the country, and for this, foreign governments should engage in dialogue with the Indian government.
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*The author is a former IIT Bombay faculty member and chairperson of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
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