ICC Note:

According to persecution watchdog Open Doors, attacks on Christians in India over the first half of 2017 are hitting a record high. According to the group, Christians in India have reported 410 instances of harassment, threats, and attacks since the beginning of the year. This includes severe beatings, false arrests, social boycotts, and even murders. Many claim that the current BJP-led government’s inability or unwillingness to confront Hindu radical groups operating in India has played a major factor in the spike in persecution. With numbers hitting record highs, will India’s government finally step up and start protecting its Christian citizens? 

08/11/2017 India (Christian Times) – The attacks against Christians in India have reached record high in the first half of 2017, with 410 reported incidents, nearly reaching the number of attacks in all of 2016.

Figures compiled by partners of persecution watchdog group Open Doors indicated that there have been 410 reported incidents of harassment, threats and attacks against Indian Christians in the first six months of 2017.

The number of incidents during that period is almost as many as the total for the whole of 2016, when there were 441 reported cases.

According to Open Doors, the number of incidents in January, April, May and June this year were more than double that of 2016, while the incidents in February and March this year were nearly double that of last year.

There were two killings and 85 incidents of violent assault this year, World Watch Monitor reported. Hindu extremists were suspected of being involved in 99 percent of the cases of violent assaults.

Most of the beatings were severe, and in 32 cases, Christians would have died if they had not been provided with timely medical aid.

“When Christians are beaten up by extremists, they are injured mostly on their heads or vital body parts. There was one incident earlier this year when the victim was attacked by a sword to his head,” a local partner told Open Doors.

“He was bleeding profusely and was critically injured… Attackers do not care if the person dies. They know they will not be punished because the Government (and hence the judiciary) will take their side. In most cases attackers go unpunished,” the partner continued.

In 37 incidents, victims were either socially boycotted, or threatened with it, by Hindu villagers if they do not convert to Hinduism.

Victims in 34 more incidents were forced to leave their homes because of their refusal to leave Christianity.

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