A pregnant woman, her husband and their one-year-old daughter are among the nearly 700 Christians who have been imprisoned across India this year on charges of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. Most of them have been released on bail thanks to legal aid provided by CSI’s local partner, but threats to Indian Christians are increasing as the May 2024 election draws nearer.
A pregnant Christian woman (right), and her husband and their one-year-old daughter (left) were among those imprisoned in India this year. csi
The Christian couple was arrested on September 10 during a prayer meeting in a church in Azamgarh district of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The woman, three months pregnant at the time, had no one to take care of their daughter. Consequently, their young child was compelled to accompany them to jail.
The gathering was misinterpreted as a conversion event, leading to charges under the state’s controversial anti-conversion law.
After relentless legal efforts, she was granted bail on October 16. The couple expressed gratitude upon their release, which occurred well over a month after their arrest. Prisons in India are notorious for their appalling living conditions, a situation dire for any individual, and particularly grievous for a pregnant woman accompanied by a child.
Facilities in Indian jails are severely overcrowded, resulting in inadequate sleeping quarters, little or no privacy, and heightened tension among inmates.
Sanitation amenities frequently fall short, creating unhygienic environments conducive to disease transmission. Moreover, prisoners often face challenges in accessing clean water and nutritious food. Incidents of sexual harassment and physical abuse in prisons are reported with troubling regularity.
Bail for 33 Christian leaders
The CSI partner also recently secured bail for 33 Christian leaders in the Bastar region of the eastern state of Chhattisgarh. They were accused of being involved in conversions because they had attended a Christian funeral in March. All the attendees were pressured to “reconvert” to their previous religion. Resistance led to physical violence and unlawful detention.
By October 31, 691 Christians had been arrested, primarily accused of converting Hindus through force or enticement, according to the CSI partner. Out of these, 613 have been released thanks to its legal support, while 78 others remain incarcerated.
The partner organization, which remains unnamed for safety reasons, said securing bail has become increasingly challenging. There is a growing crackdown on Christian evangelism and gatherings, influenced by political pressure.
With the general election approaching in May 2024, the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party is intensifying its focus on Hindu nationalism. This strategy is to polarize the electorate and consolidate votes.
Anti-conversion laws
The rise of Christian imprisonments is rooted in the anti-conversion laws, present in nearly a dozen Indian states. These laws prohibit conversions by coercion, allurement, fraudulent means, marriage, or misrepresentation. Hindu nationalist groups frequently invoke the laws to accuse religious minorities of forced conversions, placing the onus on the accused to prove their innocence.
“The weaponization of the anti-conversion laws needs to be put to an immediate stop,” the head of the organization said. “The courts, especially the magistrates, with immense powers over bail and remand need to protect the common man and woman from these excesses of law.”
Christians, who constitute about 2.3 percent of India’s population of 1.4 billion, have faced a surge in violence since the BJP party came to power in 2014.
Record levels of persecution
The year 2021 was marked as the “most violent” for Christians in India, with at least 486 incidents of persecution reported, according to the United Christian Forum (UCF), a Christian rights group based in New Delhi. And in the first half of 2023 alone, the group reported 400 incidents.
June 2023, in particular, witnessed an alarming rate of attacks, averaging three daily.
The UCF attributes the high incidence of persecution to a culture of “impunity.” This emboldens mobs to threaten and assault Christians, and subsequently hand them over to the police on allegations of forced conversions.
