India sees 334 verified attacks on Christians in 2025 so far: Report
BJP-ruled states top the list
New Delhi : In a troubling revelation, the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFIRLC) has documented 334 verified incidents of systematic targeting against Christians across India between January and July 2025.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the report highlights a consistent and alarming pattern of religious persecution, with incidents reported every month across 22 states and union territories, reflecting what EFIRLC described as a “systematic effort to suppress Christian religious expression.”
Uttar Pradesh (95 incidents) and Chhattisgarh (86), both ruled by the BJP, account for over 54% of all documented cases, emerging as the epicenters of anti-Christian violence. These states have “emerged repeatedly as primary hot spots where Christian families face not only immediate violence but prolonged legal harassment under anti-conversion laws. The misuse of these laws has become a primary weapon of intimidation, with threats, harassment, and false accusations representing two-thirds of all incidents documented during this period.”
They are followed by Madhya Pradesh (22), Bihar (17), Karnataka (17), Rajasthan (15), and Haryana (15)—states that have also witnessed a rise in hostility towards Christian communities.
Particularly disturbing, said the report, are the “13 cases involving denial of burial rights, with 92% occurring in Chhattisgarh alone”. “Christian families are prevented from honouring their deceased according to their faith even on private property,” it stated. The report also highlighted a strategic pattern of attacks on Sundays, during church services and prayer gatherings, suggesting organised monitoring and deliberate disruption of Christian religious life.
The report noted that the 334 documented cases “likely represent only a fraction of actual incidents, as many go unreported due to fear of reprisals, intimidation by local authorities, or lack of access to documentation channels.” In addition, it maintained that the pattern reveals “a coordinated effort to suppress Christian religious expression through both legal mechanisms and social pressure, creating a climate of fear that extends far beyond the immediate victims to entire communities.”
EFIRLC said it compiles data from multiple sources, including victim testimonies, local partner networks, media monitoring, police reports, medical records, and photographic evidence, ensuring thorough verification wherever possible.
In January, the United Christian Forum had recorded 834 attacks on Christians in India in 2024, which is 100 more than in 2023. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom in March 2025 has designated India as a “Country of Particular Concern” for its attacks on religious minorities, Muslims and Christians in particular.
