334 verified cases of targeted attacks against Christians in India between Jan–July 2025: Report
New Delhi: Between January and July 2025, 334 verified incidents of targeted violence against Christians were reported across 22 states and union territories, according to a new report by the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIRLC). The group has flagged a consistent pattern of attacks, with Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh alone accounting for over half of the documented cases.
Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 95 incidents, followed by Chhattisgarh with 86. EFIRLC noted that these two BJP-ruled states have emerged as the main hotspots for anti-Christian violence, where victims not only face immediate physical attacks but also prolonged legal harassment under anti-conversion laws. The report points to the widespread misuse of these laws, with two-thirds of all cases involving threats, false accusations, or legal intimidation.
Among the most serious incidents is the arrest of two Catholic nuns, Vanada Francis and Preeta Mary, in Chhattisgarh. They were allegedly attacked by Bajrang Dal members for ‘forcible conversion’ and subsequently jailed. They were granted bail only recently by a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.
The report documents 13 cases involving the denial of burial rights, 92% of which occurred in Chhattisgarh. It states that Christian families were blocked from performing last rites even on private property. Most attacks were timed to coincide with Sunday worship services, which EFIRLC sees as evidence of systematic monitoring and disruption of religious gatherings.
In one case from Bhilai, six pastors were detained and allegedly beaten with wooden batons inside Durg jail for simply identifying themselves as pastors during a routine inquiry. Despite medical evidence of custodial torture, the pastors still face charges while no action has been taken against jail staff.
Other states with notable numbers include Madhya Pradesh (22 cases), Bihar (17), Karnataka (17), Rajasthan (15), and Haryana (15).
EFIRLC said the 334 incidents likely reflect only a fraction of the total attacks, citing underreporting due to fear of reprisal, intimidation by local authorities, and lack of access to documentation. It warned of a “coordinated effort to suppress Christian religious expression” through both legal means and social pressure.
The Commission collects data via direct victim reports, partner networks, media monitoring, and official sources, verifying each case through police records, medical documents, witness statements, and photographic evidence.
In January, the United Christian Forum had recorded 834 attacks on Christians in 2024, 100 more than in 2023. In March 2025, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for attacks on religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Meanwhile, the BJP’s contradictory strategies have drawn attention, with its state units in north and central India pushing aggressive anti-conversion campaigns, while party leaders in Kerala attempt to court the Christian vote ahead of the upcoming state elections. BJP state president Rajeev Chandrashekhar recently met with the two jailed nuns after their release, a move widely viewed as political outreach.
The destruction of over 300 churches during the 2023 Manipur violence also continues to draw criticism, casting a long shadow over the party's attempts to gain ground among Christian voters in southern states.
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'Rear-guard action': BJP over Mamata accepting sports minister's resignation after Messi event
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Tuesday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's accepting Aroop Biswas' resignation as the state sports minister is nothing but a "rear-guard action" to douse public anger over the mismanagement of football icon Lionel Messi's event last week.
BJP co-in-charge for West Bengal Amit Malviya alleged that this is also an "open confession" that the Messi event fiasco was not accidental but a government-manufactured disaster, borne out of the poor governance of Banerjee, her ministers and the state bureaucracy.
Banerjee on Tuesday accepted Biswas' resignation as the sports minister in the wake of the controversy over the mismanagement of football icon Messi's event last week, a senior leader of the ruling TMC said.
Biswas, who had written to the chief minister seeking to be relieved of his responsibilities as sports minister, will continue as a cabinet minister, retaining charge of the power department.
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Reacting to the development, Malviya said in a post on X, "TMC Sports Minister Aroop Biswas resigns after the Messi fiasco and Mamata Banerjee accepts it in record time."
"Do not mistake this for accountability; this is nothing but a rear-guard action to douse public anger. anger! This is not 'Raj Dharma'," he added.
The BJP leader alleged that the incident was the outcome of "loot" of common people which is "so synonymous" with the TMC.
The incident was also the outcome of the "shameless VIP culture that TMC thrives on and deep-rooted cronyism promoted by Banerjee," he charged.
Malviya further alleged that Biswas' resignation exposes a "collective failure of Mamata Banerjee, her partisan bureaucracy, and her crony cabinet".
"This is a symbolic sacrifice, a political hoax, soon to be buried under layers of bureaucracy, with no justice, no accountability, and no remorse," the BJP leader said, adding, "No resignation will bring back the time lost, the money wasted, or the stolen chance for football lovers to witness Messi in Kolkata."
