Due to a sharp increase in violence against Christians in India, several advocacy organizations have called for a national convention of Christians this month to raise concerns about Christian persecution to the government.

On an early November morning, several Christian villagers in the Rohtak district of Haryana were forced to burn their Bibles publicly as a Hindu nationalist terrorized and abused them, forcing the believers to denounce their faith while continuing to insult and threaten them. This is just one example of the type of violence many Christians in India are facing today.

While violence and persecution against Christians in India have been an ongoing issue for decades, there has been a recent sharp increase in violent incidents. According to a report released on Nov. 4 from a group of Christian rights activists at the Press Club of India, there has been a 500% increase in hate crimes against Christians in India since 2014.

In the last 10 years, the reported incidents of violence against Christians in India jumped from 139 to 834, with the total number of documented incidents affecting almost 5,000 families in the last decade.

The convention held to address these concerns will occur on Nov. 29 and is titled “Towards a Self-Reliant, Progressive, and United India.” Organizers hope to foster dialogue in their communities to raise awareness about concerns of violence.

“This is not a political movement, but a constitutional dialogue among Indian citizens from the Christian faith, exercising their democratic rights,” one organizer stated. “The systematic and egregious violence and hostility, coupled with police inaction and lack of access of justice, requires solutions.”

According to Radio Veritas Asia, 22 members of the Indian parliament across different parties have pledged their support for the upcoming national convention, which will occur during the parliamentary session that runs from Nov. 24 to Dec. 25. The goal of the national convention is to reaffirm the constitutional rights of every Indian citizen, regardless of their religion.

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