Half yearly report from EFI documents 145 instances of atrocities against Christians

Religious Liberty Commission Half Yearly Report 2021. (Photo: EFI)

According to the half-yearly report issued by the Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI), there were 145 incidences of violence against Christians in India.

Entitled Hate and Targeted Violence Against Christians in India: Half Yearly Report 2021, the violence documented in the report was savage and pervasive, ranging from murder to attacks on churches, bogus cases, police impunity and connivance, and the now-accepted social isolation or boycott that is spreading like wildfire.

“An analysis of the 145 cases recorded by the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s Religious Liberty Commission and its associate Helplines and activists, documents three murders, attacks or desertion of 22 churches / places of worship, and 20 cases of ostracization or social boycott in rural areas of families which had refused to renege on their Christian faith and had stood up to mobs and political leaders of the local majority community,” said the report.

Madhya Pradesh was first on the list, with 30 incidents of violence, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 22, Karnataka with 14 and Chhattisgarh with 13.

“Violence against Christians by non-state actors in India stems from an environment of targeted hate,” according to the EFI report. “The translation of the hate into violence is sparked by a sense of impunity generated in India’s administrative apparatus.”

The reports added that COVID-19 appears to have provided the police with a pretext to avoid registering cases. At the same time, it was also difficult to obtain remedy from the courts. The lack of civil society on the streets aided the violence since activists were unable to travel due to lockdowns and the media's collapse, said the report.

The most worrying trend in the country, according to EFI, is the growth and scope of the controversial Freedom of Religion Acts, often known as anti-conversion laws, which were previously implemented in seven states. Forced or false religious conversions are allegedly punishable under this law. In reality, however, they are utilized to criminalize all conversions, particularly in non-urban areas, claims the report.

EFI calls on the Indian government and the respective state governments of the states included in the report to safeguard the rule of law and religious minorities' safety in India.

“We especially appeal to the State Governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh to deal stringently with the various right-wing organizations operating in these states whose primary agenda is to create an atmosphere of fear among the Christian community and other religious minorities,” said the report.

Read the full report here.