Persecution Incidents 2014 Evangelical clergyman stabbed to death 200 Christians converted to Hinduism State: Andhra Pradesh State: Gujarat Date: 11th January 2014 Dist: Ahmedabad Date: 22nd December 2014 Hindu extremists beatup Pastor Tilas Bedia A group of vandals desecrated all the (left) and his family of his brother Chandra statues at the 14 Stations of the Cross in the Bedia (center). Cristu Jyothi Ashram State: Jharkhand State: Andhra Pradesh Dist: Ramgarh District Dist: Warangal Date: 4th March 2014 Date: 28th May 2014 Woman alleges abduction & marriage to Bajrangi Mysterious fire guts St Sebastian's Church State: Karnataka State: Delhi Dist: Mangalore Date: 2nd December 2014 Date: 16th October 2014 Hindu radicals attack a Pentecostal church State: Madhya Pradesh Fr. Tom Kottathil attacked by drunken Date: 24th November 2014 person State: Kerala Dist: Changanacherry Date: 18th September 2014 Dalits harassment by Tamilnadu police over participation in church festival Church set ablaze State: Tamil Nadu State: Madhya Pradesh Dist: Tiruchirapalli Dist: Mandla district Date: 13th May 2014 Date: 29th September 2014 Hindu radical groups disrupting an inter- Church turned into 'temple' after 72 faith meeting Valmikis reconvert to Hinduism State: Madhya Pradesh State: Uttar Pradesh Date: 29th December 2014 Dist: Aligarh Date: 29th August 2014 Family in Odisha state driven from village after Hindu extremists burn down their home. At Mangaon, the statue of the Sacred Heart State: Odisha of Jesus was vandalised. Date: 25th October 2014 State: Maharashtra Dist: Raigad Date: 31st December 2013 Hinduise Politics & Militarise Hindus Crucifix desecrated a second time in Vile Parle State: Maharashtra Date: 14th July 2014 Rapid Growth of RSS & Saffron Brigade Towards a Hindu Nation Kollol and his wife were beaten and forced to perform a Hindu ritual Date: 4th June 2014 1 The CSF 2014 Report on Indian Christian Persecution Request to Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India This is an appeal from millions of Indian Christians from within the country & abroad to go know the plight of those from the community persecuted by fundamentalists & act to stop it. Indian Christians love the Prime Minister and many voted for the BJP, putting great faith in not the party, but the individual – Narendra Modi – from whom we have great expectations. We therefore look up to him and are dismayed that his vision of a strong & developed India, which we all are dedicated to, will be reduced to nought in such a vitiated environment. Hence, this request to the Narendra Modi Government for inclusiveness of minorities, especially Christians, who desperately need it. Indian Christians have made huge contributions and are committed to do so in the future too. We are with you towards an India, where religious liberty is zealously safeguarded. The CSF is grateful to all those who have reported on persecution in India, including its many activists across various states. Most of the sources are the media and reports from victims or those close to them, under confidentiality. Special mention must be made of the following NGOs, active in the field too: The Evangelical Fellowship of India All India Christian Council Global Council of Indian Christians Alliance Defending Freedom India International Christian Concern World Watch Monitor & more Highlights: * Minimum - An Incident per Day * Chhattisgarh Tops as Rogue State * Maharashtra with Maximum Potential * MP, UP, Karnataka, Odisha & Kerala Follow * Others - AP, TN, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttrakhand, etc. Victims: 5 killed, Minimum 7000 Affected 1600 Women & 500 Children Involved 300 + Clergy & Community Leaders Targeted 2 The Sangh's Reported Growth: 2000 new shakas in 2013. 5000 new shakas in 2014. 2.73 lakh minorities being reconverted in the Braj area of UP alone. Online requests per month tripled from 2500 (2013) to over 7000 in 2014 Week-long training (13 - 40 year-olds) rises from 80,000 (2013) to 200,000 in 2014 Statements & Actions from Ministers: Uniform Civil Code – Union Law Minister Christmas as Governance Day – Union HRD Minister Bhagwad Gita as National Book – Union External Affairs Minister Ramzaadon (children of Ram) & Haraamzaadon (Illegitimate) – Union Food Minister Rise of All Pervasive Communal Activity: There is also eminent danger of saffronization of various sectors, like police, education, bureaucracy, judiciary, armed forces, etc. as has been observed from those joining the BJP in the run-up to and after the polls. The statements of prominent many from these spheres points to their communal mindset, at least at the lower levels. Serious Repercussions – In India & Abroad: The danger is that such unchecked and encouraged communal activities by non-state actors pose an imminent danger to the development agenda which got the BJP government elected. If the government and secularists remain silent to give impetus to the Hindutva forces, then India will soon be reduced to another Afghanistan, Bangladesh or Pakistan… Minorities who voted for the BJP, which otherwise would not have been able to win the elections, will be compelled to turn away from the party. Such governance is bound to draw the ire of the developed nations, who presently have a good opinion of the establishment, but are also committed to human and minority rights. The frequency of Hindutva provocations makes one suspect that the Hindu State (Rashtra) is nigh – the government is only for Hindus, of Hindus and by Hindus, with not even lip service being paid to minorities. A fear that must be allayed and a misconception that needs to be cleared. Malicious 5 Ms – The biggest threat to Hinduism is from Macaulayism, Missionaries, Materialism, Marxism and Muslims. - World Hindu Congress 2014 The RSS has taken possession of as many as 60 churches across the state, where no Christians worship now, "as they have all been re-converted to Hinduism". Our organization sets 2021 as a deadline to cleanse India of “alien Islam and Christianity”. - Rajeshwar Singh, Dharm Jagran Manch (Hindutva NGO) There will be a havan anushtaan (puja ritual) and use of Ganga water to purify the converts. Pictures of Hindu deities will be distributed to them. We will tell them methods of our worship and give them our religious books. - Pruthivi Kumar, a Bajrang Dal associate 3 Index Page No. * Pics of some incidents. Ghastly ones avoided * Highlights - States, Victims & Growth of RSS 1 * Hot Spots & India Without Christians 4 * Lessons from Earlier Track Record 5 * Maharashtra & Persecution Categories 5 * Persecution - Killed 7 * Persecution - Clergy 7 * Persecution - Boycott 7 * Persecution - Women 7 * Persecution - Children 7 * Persecution - Christmas 8 * Persecution - Legislation 8 * Persecution - Ghar Wapsi 8 * Persecution - Denied Rations 9 * Persecution - Hindutva Education 9 * Persecution - Churches as Temples 9 * Persecution - Anti-Conversion Law 10 * Persecution - Christian Services & NGOs 10 * Persecution – Other Motives: Economic Exploitation 10 * Persecution – Some Incidents Across States 11 * Persecution – Uniform Civil Code & Personal Laws 12 * Recommendations to the Government 13 * Systemic / Institutional Persecution 14 * Top 125 Incidents – Across 20 States 16 4 Some Hot Spots Ghar Whapsi Concentration: Thousands of families, especially in UP (Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, Mathura, Firozabad, Etah, Meerut, Mainpuri), Kerala, Uttarakhand and at least 10 BJP ruled states are unable to freely practice their faith. A Few Churches Desecrated: * Delhi - Kalkaji, Dilshad Garden, Jasola * Chhattisgarh - Bastar, Bhilai, Durg, Jagdalpur, Mahasamund * Karnataka - Udupi &Chitradurga * Kerala - Thrissur , * UP - Jaunpur, Bulandshahar, Aligarh, Meerut * TN - Karur * MP - Mandla Some Instances of Arrests / Police Harassment: * MP - Dewas, Katni, Indore, Bhopal, Alipur, Satna * Karnataka - Chitradurga, Davangere, Karwar * TN - Tirunelveli * Chhattisgarh - Jashpur * WB - Mednipur * Bihar - Patna * UP - Jaunpur, Faizabad, Noida, Agra An India Without Christians? The year started with a fall-out after the Christmas season and there has been on an average 1 incident reported per day until the year end. There has been a very marked rise in attacks on the minorities with the swearing in of new BJP led governments in the union and states - Narendra Modi after May 2014 and at the center and in the states it either rules or put up a great show - MP, AP, Goa, J&K, Delhi, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, etc. Out of the 365 odd incidences we have come across, we are highlighting Over 125 Top Christian Persecution Incidents spread across 20 states of the country. The documentation ranges from being murdered for the faith and being brutally assaulted to being raped and jailed for propagation of what one believes in. This list is only illustrative and not exhaustive. In a separate section, we have outlined the systemic or institutional persecution, which has heightened since the new governments at the federal and state levels. India has over the years moved higher in the world of persecution and reaches its peak thus far, with respect to restrictions on freedom of faith, almost featuring in The Top 20 Persecuting Nations Worldwide. The rise of Narendra Modi as prime minister has ensured India a place among the developed in the comity of nations, but with its vast majority of Hindu citizens and the world's second largest Muslim population, Christians are reduced to a micro-minority of 2.3 percent and persecuted