DC-based group names India among top 10 countries persecuting Christians
Washington, D.C.-based human rights group International Christian Concern named India among the top 10 countries persecuting Christians in its 2023 Persecutors of the Year Report.
“In 2023, violence against Christians [in India] has continued at a record pace, on track to meet or exceed 2022 when about 600 incidents took place. Mass violence in Chhattisgarh and Manipur in late 2022 and 2023 supply chilling examples of what the future could hold for India’s Christian population if radical Hindu nationalism is not checked,” the report stated.
The report also names Hindu supremacist icon and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogi Adityanath among the top five leaders globally known for persecuting Christians. Specifically, Adityanath has passed laws restricting religious freedom in Uttar Pradesh, targeting Indian pastors, missionaries, and interfaith couples.
Neighbor targets only Muslim family in Bihar village, police refuse to probe
A 68-year-old Muslim man, Jabir Khan, has reported facing months of religious discrimination and death threats by his Hindu extremist neighbor, Ram Sehni.
Two months ago, Sehni and his brother attempted to set Khan’s house on fire, the only Muslim-owned home in Bihar state’s Bhagirathpur village. Despite reporting the incident, police officials have taken no action against this hate crime.
Violent Hindu cow vigilantes assault Muslim truck driver in Gurugram
In BJP-ruled Haryana’s Gurugram, an armed group of Hindu militant cow vigilantes affiliated with murder-accused Monu Manesar chased a truck transporting cattle and assaulted a Muslim driver. Hindu militant mobs have increasingly been targeting Muslims accused of transporting cattle or consuming beef.
BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh to be given new Hindi name
A resolution to rename a city in far-right BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state, Aligarh, as Harigarh was passed by a local government body. Far-right Hindu groups have been demanding places with Muslim names to be renamed across India. The changes are aimed at erasing Muslim history, influence, and contributions.
If the renaming becomes official, Aligarh will join a list of places in Uttar Pradesh that have undergone a change of name such as Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Mughal Sarai (now Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar), and Faizabad (now Ayodhya).
