January 2026

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 India is widely touted as the world’s largest democracy, yet religious freedom within the country is severely under threat. Since 2014, the Indian government under the control of Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has gradually suppressed non-Hindu religious traditions. The BJP’s policies promote “Hindutva,” which is a nationalist ideology that seeks to establish Hinduism and Hindu culture as dominant in India and affirms the view that to be Indian is to be Hindu. 

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 The BJP is the political wing of the Sangh Parivar, which is an umbrella term for the collection of Hindutva organizations formed by and connected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary organization. The RSS and other Hindutva organizations, notably the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its youth arm, the Bajrang Dal, are the hands and feet that exert pressure on religious minorities. Throughout Modi’s 11 years in power, he has taken significant steps toward deeepening authoritarianism, most notably the government’s complete control over investigative and enforcement agencies and their misuse to target dissenters and opposition. With the Sangh Parivar present in many areas of Indian society, it has become increasingly difficult to practice any religion other than Hinduism, including Christianity. 

 

 Christians experience persecution mainly from various actors associated with Hindu nationalism. Not only are violent religious groups like the RSS are active in enforcing a Hindutva agenda, but Hindu religious leaders as well. They play the role of mediator between religious nationalist ideology and its actual manifestation on the ground, planning and executing misinformation and violent action against Christians and other minorities. Furthermore, close relatives of Christian converts often quickly regard any conversion to Christianity as bringing shame on the family’s honor and will cast them out or turn violent. In ethnic or tribal groups throughout the country, community leaders will commonly put pressure on Christian converts for leaving the culture of the ancestors, viewing it as an insult to their religion, family, and community. 

 

 Moreover, conversion in India is one of the biggest issues leveraged by Hindu radicals against Christians. If a person of Hindu background converts to Christianity, the term “forced conversion” will be alleged by Hindu nationalist groups to provide an excuse to attack not only converts but pastors, church leaders, and congregations. Although conversion is usually an independent decision, accusations of coercion often lead to physical violence, followed by being taken to a police post on criminal charges. Furthermore, anti-conversion laws are in force in 11 out of 25 states, with many Hindu groups pressuring to implement them at a federal level. 

 

 Despite being around 5% of the total population, there are a myriad of Christian communities throughout India. However, they all face persecution in some way. Christian converts from a Hindu background face the most religious freedom violations in India and are constantly under pressure to return to Hinduism. The insistence of Hindu nationalist groups for converts to return to Hinduism includes being physically assaulted, often to the point of being hospitalized. Non-traditional Christian communities (Baptist, Evangelical, and Pentecostal churches) are regarded as the second main target by radical Hindus because of their outreach activities. Like converts, they face regular attacks and are finding it increasingly difficult to spread the Christian gospel. Other Christian communities, like expatriate and historical Christian communities, face less oppression from radical Hindus because they are not generally involved in outreach among locals and are not growing strongly. 

 

Regardless of church tradition, the state is increasingly monitoring Christian activities and has imposed growing restrictions on churches throughout the country. For example, publishing Christian material and organizing Christian activities in public has become very risky, as Hindu extremist forces view it as a form of evangelism. Because of the immunity radical Hindu groups have from their vigilante activities, churches stay silent in the face of growing restrictions and persecution, unable to obtain help from Hindu politicians. 

 

As a minority in India, Christians face discrimination in a multitude of areas. They are increasingly discriminated against in professional settings, being passed over for jobs or promotion, and face being mocked for their faith. Furthermore, Christian children are often forced to participate in Hindu religious activities in the classroom, even in Christian schools. Although non-Hindu parents are permitted to adopt Hindu children via the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015, Christians still find it virtually impossible to adopt children. The procedures to adopt are intentionally complicated, and members of the committees who decide the adoptions are often biased against Christians. 

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Gender-based discrimination is frequent in India, though men and women face different challenges. Throughout all of India, it is particularly dangerous to be a woman, and it is no different for Christian women, especially converts. Women who leave traditionally Hindu communities often face persecution that targets their bodies through sexual harassment, molestation, and rape. Shame is a very powerful force in Indian society; thus, sexual attacks are particularly common in order to corrode the honor and prestige of entire families. In addition, violent physical attacks on women occur as well, usually taking the form of acid attacks, brutal beatings (including the butt of a gun), and killings. Because women are seen as unlikely to retaliate, female converts are more vulnerable to domestic violence, placing them under extreme pressure to give up their faith. 

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Indian society heavily values physical strength in a man, so persecution aims at hurting their position as decision maker in the family, head of the household, or head of the church. Men are also subject to brutal beatings, killings via mob violence, and emotional torture such as being forced to watch family members be assaulted. Furthermore, being a pastor continues to be one of the more dangerous professions in the country, making Christian leaders particularly vulnerable to persecution. Hindu radicals target Christian leaders and their families in order to set an example for the wider Christian community and stop the spread of Christianity into Indian society. 

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In the 2024 General Election, the Indian National Congress (the opposition to the BJP) did much better than expected, which can be interpreted as a check on the advance of Hindu nationalism. Despite this, the BJP continues to perform well in many Indian states, indicating their influence is far from declining. Furthermore, the BJP continues to assert control over media and political narratives, suppressing any sort of dissent. 

 

IIRF-V Fellows are currently working on research into religious freedom in India.  For more information, see Open Doors' World Watch List entry for India.