The Indian National Congress, the country’s chief opposition party, has raised grave concerns over escalating attacks on Christian communities across India, with senior leader K C Venugopal writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about incidents particularly involving the Bajrang Dal.
In his letter dated August 10, 2025, Venugopal, who serves as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, detailed a series of recent incidents targeting Christian clergy and nuns in Chhattisgarh and Odisha. The Congress leader highlighted the arrest of two Catholic nuns from Kerala in Durg district, Chhattisgarh, following protests by Bajrang Dal activists.
Police detained the nuns on charges of human trafficking and forced religious conversions under the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, though they were later released after widespread protests.
“The nuns were falsely accused of human trafficking and forced religious conversions,” the senior politician stated, describing the charges as baseless and noting that police initially denied them bail before releasing them following public outcry.
Days later, violence erupted in Jaleswar, Odisha, where approximately 70 Bajrang Dal activists allegedly assaulted two Catholic priests and two nuns. “The victims were thrashed, pushed to the ground,” the letter states.
Venugopal also referenced a similar assault two months prior in Sambalpur district, Odisha, involving two Catholic priests, including a 90-year-old Malayali priest.
The MP reported that on the day of writing, Bajrang Dal staged another protest in Raipur against a Christian gathering, demanding a ban on Christian priests. He described these events as “repeated outrages” revealing “a systematic campaign to marginalise and terrorise Christians.”
Supporting his concerns with statistical evidence, the Congress politician cited a report by the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, which documented 334 incidents of targeted hostility against Christians between January and July 2025 across 22 states and union territories.
The report catalogued various forms of harassment including threats, false accusations, physical violence, disruption of church services, social boycotts, vandalism, church burnings and gender-based violence.
“These incidents reflect a sustained, organised pattern of harassment, violence, and suppression of religious freedom,” Venugopal stated, arguing that documented evidence reinforces the urgent need for government action.
The senior leader criticised what he termed the government’s “failure to prosecute these extreme elements” and accused officials of giving a “silent nod to this violence.” He characterised the situation as “a direct assault on the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion under Article 25.”
Venugopal concluded his letter with specific demands for immediate action: prosecuting those responsible, withdrawing false cases against victims, and implementing measures to protect religious minorities.
“I urge the government to shed silence and take immediate and decisive action,” he stated, calling for the protection of religious freedom as enshrined in India’s Constitution.
