Christian Pilgrims Harassed by Hindu Nationalist Group

Christian Pilgrims Harassed by Hindu Nationalist Group

The front of two buses in India.
Two buses in India.

Two busloads of Christians that had embarked on a Lenten pilgrimage tour were stopped by members of a Hindu nationalist group on March 31st and subsequently handed over to police. The incident led to the physical and verbal assault of some Christian leaders.

The believers were travelling by bus to visit various churches in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh as part of a "Jubilee Year" celebration. However, several Hindu members of the Bajrang Dal group intercepted the buses and forced them to stop. The pilgrims were forcibly taken to a police station where they were soon released and permitted to continue their journey. As they were travelling to visit another church, the buses were stopped once again; this time, the believers were detained for questioning at the Jabalpur police station. When a group of Catholic leaders, including the Vicar General of the local diocese, came to assist the believers, the militants then turned on the church leaders, physically assaulting them at the police station.

The Bajrang Dal activists alleged that the individuals on the buses were Hindus from tribal communities who had been gathered for the tour with the intention of forcibly converting them to Christianity. However, the individuals in question insisted that they were followers of Jesus who had paid to be part of the bus tour. The believers were ordered by the militants to show identity cards proving that they are Christians, despite the fact that Indian identity cards do not indicate one's religious affiliation.

When the police found no evidence of illegal religious conversions, they instead registered a complaint against the attackers. In India, false accusations of coercive conversions are commonly used against Christians in many parts of the country. For additional reports on the challenges encountered by our Indian brothers and sisters in Christ, see our country profile.

  • Please pray for the complete healing of all those who were injured and traumatized in this recent attack.
  • As special days on the Christian calendar are commonly used as an impetus for violence and opposition, pray that believers in India and throughout the world will be able to peacefully celebrate the death and resurrection of their Saviour this Easter season.
  • May those who oppose the "Good News" of the Gospel in India be convicted of their own need for eternal salvation, come to a point of sincere repentance, and ultimately acknowledge Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour.

India Information

  • Current Ministry Projects

    VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”

    Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defense, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry, Medical Fund

  • Country Information

    Population
    1,399,179,585 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)

    Religion (%)
    Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)

    Leader
    President Droupadi Murmu (2022)

    Government type
    Federal parliamentary republic

    Legal system
    Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for India

    Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.

India News

  • Supreme Court to Review Anti-Conversion Laws
    The India Supreme Court building is surrounded by trees.
    The Supreme Court of India.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Subhashish Panigrahi (cc)

    The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a series of petitions challenging the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws enacted by several of the country's states. On September 16th, the court issued notices to the respective state governments, requesting their formal responses within four weeks. The case is scheduled to be heard in six weeks, and the judges have indicated that they may consider ordering the states to pause the enforcement of their existing laws until a decision is made.

  • New Policies Further Restrict Religious Freedom
    A brightly lit church building is filled with people.
    A church in India.
    Photo: Flickr / Ashish Kumar Milap (cc)

    Recent developments in two Indian states have raised serious concerns for Christians, particularly in relation to the newly heightened restrictions on religious conversions. In the first incident, police in Chhattisgarh notified more than 200 house churches around the state capital city of Raipur that worship gatherings within private homes are no longer permitted.

  • Pastors Arrested and Assaulted
    A crowd is gathered around a church building.
    A screenshot of people disrupting the service in Bhilai.
    Photo: Morning Star News

    On July 20th, six pastors were arrested after a mob disrupted a church service in Bhilai, a city located within the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The assailants chanted Hindu slogans and accused the pastors of engaging in forcible conversions. As the mob grew increasingly vocal, shouting obscenities and threatening violence, Pastor Baksh locked the church doors to protect his congregation members.

  • Severe Restrictions Accompany Anti-Conversion Legislation
    A church congregation is gathered during a service.
    A church in India.
    Photo: World Watch Monitor

    In early July, the Maharashtra state government announced plans to introduce stringent anti-conversion legislation. The new laws, which are expected to be the most severe of their kind in the country, are particularly aimed at preventing religious conversions within tribal communities. While the stated intent is to prevent incidents of coercion, legislators have used language demonstrating a broader aim to restrict religious conversions of any sort. During the announcement, the state's revenue minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, declared that the law would be so strict "no one will dare to undertake religious conversion."