10/04/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Sunday worship services have become an increasingly taboo topic for Indian Christians in the state of Uttar Pradesh. This northern state, which comprises a large swath of India’s northern population, has become a favorite hunting ground for religious radicals targeting Christian places of worship, including churches and house gatherings, with impunity.

The situation is exacerbated by the tacit support that these extremists receive from authorities under the pro-Hindu government led by Yogi Adityanath. This former priest turned politician openly advocates for a Hindu nationalist ideology and promotes intolerance toward minorities.

In Uttar Pradesh, Hindu nationalist rhetoric has reached such a resonating crescendo that radicals openly post videos of their violent attacks on social media and project themselves as self-styled heroes protecting the Hindu religion. Some of the videos are titled “Hindu shakti” or Hindu power.

Between June and September 2019, International Christian Concern (ICC) recorded 29 incidents of violence involving Hindu radicals targeting the Christian community of Uttar Pradesh. This number averages to at least one violent incident per week. These staggering figures make Uttar Pradesh a highly dangerous place for pastors and the Christian community as a whole.

Pastor Bablu, age 36, has ministered to a small church of 60 believers for the past 11 years in a small village called Kusmari, located in the Lakhimpur Kheri district. One Sunday in late August, after the worship service ended and the congregation had dispersed, Pastor Bablu was about to relax with his wife and five sons. Suddenly, a group of 30 Bajrang Dal activists, a religious fanatic group with militant leanings, stormed into his house and falsely accused him of engaging in religious conversions.

The fanatics abused and threatened Pastor Bablu, claiming that he did not have permission to conduct church services. Finally, they dragged him to the Kotwal police station where the police promptly locked him up until late evening.

After several hours, the police released Pastor Bablu. However, they warned him not to conduct any church activities without first obtaining permission from local authorities.

In India, religious freedom is protected under Article 25 of the constitution and there is no need for any special permission to conduct or attend worship services. However, many local authorities are reluctant to give even symbolic permission to Christians due to pressure from local extremists. Pastor Bablu said that he has applied for permission, but has not yet received a response.