Amit Shah grilled for police-Hindutva collusion in anti-Christian attacks
UCF records 834 incidents in 2024, 706 till November 2025 in India
New Delhi: Amid a sharp rise in hate crimes against Christians in India, the United Christian Forum (UCF) has written an urgent letter to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, warning of an alarming escalation in targeted violence and hostility against the Christian community with the collusion of police in several states.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the UCF said it recorded at least 834 incidents of violence against Christians in 2024 and 706 incidents up to November 2025, describing the trend as “deeply disturbing” and reflective of a systematic pattern of persecution. In the letter, UCF National Coordinator A.C. Michael said propaganda of forced religious conversions remain the primary trigger for attacks, with Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh emerging as the most affected states.
Citing reports by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), the forum said that police often side with Hindutva groups, ignore complaints by Christian victims, and allow prayer meetings to be disrupted while worshippers are harassed and intimidated. It said such conduct by law enforcement has emboldened Hindutva elements and created a climate of impunity.
The letter exposed grave incidents of burial-related violence in tribal areas, saying that Christians are denied burial space, subjected to forced exhumations, threatened with violence and coerced into “ghar wapsi.” Referring to incidents in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand, the forum said these acts have fostered an environment of fear rather than dignity for minority communities.
The UCF strongly criticised anti-conversion laws enforced in several states, arguing that these laws are being misused to target religious minorities and undermine constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion, equality and conscience. It recalled Indian Supreme Court observations that peaceful religious gatherings, Bible preaching and charity work do not constitute unlawful conversion, warning that continued prosecutions amount to an abuse of the criminal justice process.
The forum urged New Delhi to provide systematic training on human rights and religious freedom standards to police forces and the judiciary.
The UCF said the Modi regime must issue advisories to repeal anti-conversion laws and ensure functional Human Rights and Minority Commissions in every state through transparent, non-partisan appointments. It further demanded compensation for victims falsely accused or attacked for their faith and urged implementation of long-pending recommendations of minority rights bodies.
The letter follows a spate of hate incidents ahead of Christmas, including reports from Jabalpur where a local BJP functionary was seen harassing a visually impaired Christian woman over conversion allegations, and from Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar where Bajrang Dal activists allegedly confronted Christians wearing Santa Claus hats and forced them to leave.
