Christians in India Face Stunning Ultimatum: Renounce Your Faith in Christ or Have Family Beaten and Evicted From Home

Christian families in India are being targeted, beaten, and thrown out of their homes simply because of their Christian faith. Just last week, the Christian Post reported that police ordered six Christian families to either renounce their faith or flee after being brutally beaten by a radical Hindu mob. The attack was reported to the Latehar District Police station of Jharkhand. This is a poignant reminder that not all Christian persecution is carried out by Islamic extremists.

It doesn't stop there. In fact, persecution of Christians in India is on the rise as an overwhelming number of Christians are being ordered to renounce their Christian faith or suffer grave consequences such as lynching, stoning, and torture.

A report from the Delhi-based Evangelical Fellowship of India has documented 135 cases of persecution against Christians in the first half of 2020. The group explained the actual numbers may be much larger. Why? Christians are afraid to report their persecution for fear of reprisal, and the police refuse to register the cases. Far too often in India, the police side with the violent Hindu persecutors rather than the Christian minority who are constantly facing threats, evictions, and physical violence.

The ACLJ and our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), are actively monitoring the drastic increase of Christian persecution in India by violent Hindus. We are now researching what action we can take at international organizations like the U.N. and regional intergovernmental organizations to help curtail the increasing persecution, as well as looking into the potential for legal action on behalf of the brave Indian Christians willing to take their cases to the appropriate Indian court.

To that end, we recently filed a written submission at the U.N. Human Rights Council detailing the increasing persecution and abuse of Christians in India, including telling the story of our client Pastor Bryan Nerren, whom we helped free from wrongful detainment for his faith. We called on the U.N. to “take swift action and work with the government of India to ensure that the targeting of Christians in India cease, and that they be allowed to peacefully live out their religious beliefs without fear of civil or government action against them.”

At the ACLJ, we will always continue fighting for our Christian brothers and sisters facing persecution. In India, the extreme, violent Hindus believe they can conduct these atrocities without fear of being held accountable for their heinous, illegal acts. This must end – sign the petition and support the work of the ACLJ.

Anna Sekulow is Founder and Executive Director of One Life Movement. A Christian organization that focuses on educating and feeding children who live in the slums of India. There are three centers in Mumbai, one in Odisha, and one in Kolkata. To find out how you can help, visit One Life Movement.