A Catholic research body is calling on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take urgent action to stop what it describes as a sustained rise in attacks against Christians across India, particularly during the Christmas season.
The North East Catholic Research Forum submitted a memorandum to Modi on Dec. 29 detailing incidents of violence, intimidation, and restrictions on Christian religious practice, despite constitutional protections guaranteeing freedom of religion.
While welcoming Modi’s outreach to Christians in recent years — including his participation in Eastern celebrations in 2023, Christmas celebrations in 2024, and a Christmas service in 2025 — the forum said those gestures contrast sharply with mounting hostility toward the Christian community.
The memorandum cited 834 reported attacks against Christians in 2024, averaging 69 incidents per month. It also reported 706 incidents recorded between January and November 2025. Alleged abuses include physical assaults, sexual offenses, murder, threats, intimidation, destruction of churches, disruption of prayer services, and desecration of religious items.
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Christians make up about 2.3% of India’s population, according to the forum.
“[W]e remind you with deep anguish that, despite the robust constitutional safeguards
every citizen in this country enjoys, the Christian community is treated like an enemy,” the forum wrote, “which is evident from the number of attacks by different organisations of the majority Hindu community.”
The memorandum named the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a Hindu nationalist organization, and the Bajrang Dal, its youth wing, as the “chief architects” of the violence. It also alleged involvement by groups linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization.
According to the forum, anti-Christian violence intensified in the days leading up to Christmas Day. It cited disruptions of prayer services, vandalism of churches and schools, physical assaults, harassment of women and children, desecration of religious symbols, and intimidation of Christian communities in multiple states.
Specific incidents cited include the alleged assault of a visually impaired woman at a church in Jabalpur on Dec. 20; the disruption of a Christmas prayer service in Ghaziabad on Dec. 21; harassment of girls wearing Santa Claus caps in Delhi on Dec. 22; vandalism of Christmas decorations in Raipur on Dec. 24; and the destruction of a nativity scene at a school in Assam the same day. The memorandum also referenced government circulars issued in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh that it said restricted Christmas-related activities in schools.
Describing the attacks as “well-planned and systematically executed,” the forum questioned what it called a growing sense of impunity among those responsible and appealed for decisive federal intervention.
“The Christian community is deeply troubled by this unprecedented trend of preventing Christians from fulfilling their religious obligation on an important and sacred occasion like Christmas,” the forum wrote. “We wonder what made these anti-Christian forces so fearless.”
The concerns echo warnings issued earlier this month by church leaders. In a Dec. 23 statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India condemned the “alarming rise in attacks on Christians” during the Christmas season and urged the government to take “urgent, visible action” against those spreading hatred and violence.
The forum said a public condemnation from Modi could help reverse the trend and urged the central government to direct states to stop what it described as the misuse of anti-conversion laws against Christians.
“We are confident that a word of disapproval from you against such deplorable activities will certainly change this sorry state of affairs,” it concluded. “We also appeal to you to kindly direct states to refrain from misusing anti-conversion laws to torment the poor, innocent, and helpless Christian public.”
India has no national anti-conversion law, but 12 of its 28 states enforce statutes regulating religious conversions, according to a Dec. 19 op-ed published by The Hill and written by Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis.; United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Vicky Hartzler; and USCIRF Vice Chair Asif Mahmood.
The laws — intended to prevent “forced conversions” — carry criminal penalties, including jail time. According to the op-ed, they have been used to “unjustly arrest hundreds of religious leaders” accused of converting individuals to Christianity or Islam.
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