Hindu nationalists protest outside of Christian church in northern India
MUMBAI, India – A right-wing Hindu nationalist organization held a demonstration outside of a Christian church in northern India, accusing it of “unlawful” religion conversion.
Members of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a demonstration outside a local church in Fatehpuri Colony in Haryana’s Rohtak city, Siasat.com reported.
The VHP is related to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Hindu nationalist organization related to the the Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling political party under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The state of Haryana is near the national capital of New Delhi and has a population of over 25 million people, which is over 87 percent Muslim. Christians are under 0.2 percent of the population, numbering less than 6,000 people.
The BJP stresses the importance of preserving and defending Hindu identity in India, an ideology sometimes described by observers as a “saffron wave.” Since the party came to power in the national government under Modi in 2014, Christians and other religious minorities in India, especially Muslims, have complained of increasing harassment and marginalization.
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Several states have adopted controversial anti-conversion laws establishing penalties including prison terms for coerced or fraudulent conversion, which critics charge is often used to intimidate religious minorities.
Christians say such laws have encouraged anti-Christian actions in the Hindu-majority nation.
The Hindu nationalists in the city of Haryana alleged that the Christian community members invited vulnerable Hindus to prayer meetings and then attempted to convert them by promising money and healing from illnesses.
A video of the incident that surfaced on social media shows VHP members wearing saffron clothing gathering to perform religious rituals directly in front of the church premises and dancing while singing “Hum kersiya lehraye ge, mandir wahi banaye ge,” which means “we waved the flag, the temples were built there,” a Hindu nationalist slogan.
In another incident, BJP leader Anshu Tuteja vacated a church building and converted it into the Shri Ram Community Centre in Raigarh, in the state of Chhattisgarh.
He painted a swastika – a Hindu religious symbol not related to the Nazi organization – on the entry door of the church with saffron color to announce the seizure of the religious premises. This follows Tuteja’s threat on December 29 to demolish the church if it was not vacated within three days.
New data released by the United Christian Forum (UCF) states that 2024 witnessed 834 such incidents, up 100 incidents from 734 in 2023.
“The alarming frequency of attacks translates to more than two Christians being targeted every day in India simply for practicing their faith,” UCF said in a press statement on January 10.
The UCF says the frequency of attacks translates to more than two Christians being targeted every day in India simply for practicing their faith.
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“The attacks on Christian places of worship and Christian institutions are going on, and some Christians have been detained in prisons, as documented by ADF India,” said Archbishop Peter Machado of Bangalore.
“Though we don’t expect the Honorable Prime Minster to monitor every incident of attack, his making a statement condemning such attacks, would go a long way in sending a stern warning to those indulging in such anti-social behavior,” he told Crux.
“At the root of these attacks and disturbances is the encouragement given to many of the states to pass the anti-conversion bills and their subsequent forceful implementation. We humbly request the Prime Minister to cater to all the communities in the spirit of ‘sab ke sath sab ka Vikas’ – that is: Development for all, with all,” the archbishop said.