Report claims 7,000 people experienced persecution in India
Discrimination against Christians in India reached new heights last year, as a new report reveals that approximately 7,000 Christians experienced aggression and persecution from non-Christians in 2014.
According to UCANews.com, the Christian Persecution Report for 2014 showed alarming data for persecution against Christians in India. Aside from targeting roughly 300 Christian clergymen and church leaders, there were five deaths resulting from violence including an 11-year-old child.
The Christian Persecution Report is an annual publication maintained by the Catholic Secular Forum in Mumbai.
The report also highlighted the persecution in Central India's Chhattisgarh State, where the practising of non-Hindu religions, including Christianity, is outlawed. Twelve Christian villages in the state were attacked last year by fundamentalists.
According to the CSF, the escalation of violence against Christians in Hindu-dominated India is indicative of the country's progression back towards Hindu fundamentalism.
"Some right-wing forces have become active since the pro-Hindu Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) took over the reins of the country," UCA News quoted Joseph Dias, general secretary of CSF.
CSF Chairman Michael Saldanha added that these "incidents of persecution coming to light every now and then from across the country are very disturbing." Saldanha warned that the trend is definitely going to continue, and highlighted the government's glaring inaction against the perpetrators of the persecution.
According to Saldanha, Christians in India have feared persecution since the BJP Party became the ruling body in the country, and that although the Christian community is not yet in a state of panic, they are naturally "worried."
The CSF called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action to stop the persecution against Christians that is happening across the country. Saldanha told UCA News that victims are often too afraid to bring their experience to light, and urged the government to safeguard the rights of the Christian community.
