Persecution of Christians in India

OPINION:

In January 1999, a gentle Australian missionary doctor and his two little boys were murdered in Orissa State, India. Dr. Graham Staines and his nurse wife, Gladys, had provided education, health care and social development to lepers and other tribal people considered the lowest of society for over 30 years.

Staines and his young sons, Timothy and Phillip, had just finished a week of ministry in Manoharpur, deep in the forest, and were sleeping in the back of their jeep. Members of Bajrang Dal, a radical Hindu paramilitary organization, mobbed the vehicle, set it on fire and burned the three alive.

Staines was murdered because he was a Christian whose ministry led to the growth of Christianity amongst tribal peoples. Hindu radicals violently oppose religious freedom and the right of any Hindu to convert to Christianity. Radicals falsely accused Staines of bribing or otherwise coercing conversions.

But the poor, oppressed, lower-caste peoples to whom missionaries brought the good news that they were created in God’s image, and that Jesus loved them so much that He died for them, did not need coercing. Embracing Christianity was leaving a religion that sentenced them to misery as untouchables.

Orissa, now known as Odisha State, continues to be the site of many violent and murderous attacks against both Christians and Muslims. But persecution happens beyond Odisha. Other regions of egregious violence include Manipur and Punjab States. And radicals do not discriminate persecution is rampant against both Catholics and Protestants in this nation where only 2% of the population are Christians.

Persecution includes egregious discrimination; beatings and torture; burning of churches, businesses and homes; and even murder. It is attributed to mobs fomented by radical Hindu groups, such as Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

These groups hold much sway over the Indian government. Because of this, the welfare of Christians was overlooked during the COVID-19 pandemic. This neglect contributed to death of thousands of Christian pastors, leaders, priests and nuns who tried to care for others without adequate protection themselves.

In its 2026 Annual Report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent government agency created by the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act, recommended that the State Department designate India as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) “for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations.” But so far, India is not on the State Department’s official list although it has been urged by USCIRF for many years.

India ranked 12th on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. That’s up from 31st in 2013 before Modi came to power. Christian human rights and religious freedom groups worry about radical Hinduism’s disturbing similarity to Islamic supremacism. These parties promote “saffronization” of India: belief that India is for Hindus only. Exacerbating this is the institution now across 13 Indian states of a new anti-conversion law.

Another report warning of India’s lack of religious freedom this one from International Christian Concern was released on July 7. Their 2026 Global Persecution Index puts a spotlight on India and Prime Minister Modi. The Persecution Index accuses Modi of “fanning a growing flame of Hindu nationalism” and being “willing to sacrifice the rights and freedoms of religious minorities to increase his power.”

The 2026 Global Persecution Index states that “Modi’s India illustrates how persecution can grow within democratic institutions.” Unlike many other nations where Christians are persecuted, the report says, “India’s decline in religious freedom is not the result of civil war or chaos but of deliberate governance choices that recast religious diversity as disloyalty.”

Indian Christians are exemplary and loyal citizens of their country. Their only “disloyalty” is being followers of Jesus. Despite terrible persecution, the Body of Christ in India continues to grow. They deserve our prayers, respect, and advocacy.

(To know more about Dr. Graham Staines, check out the great film The Least of These, with Stephen Baldwin as Graham.)

• Faith McDonnell is director of Advocacy at Katartismos Global, a Christian ministry founded by The Rt. Rev. and Mrs. Julian Dobbs for the purpose of “equipping the saints.” Previously, she directed the International Religious Liberty Program at the Institute on Religion and Democracy for 27 years. She is co-author of “Girl Soldier: A Story of Hope for Northern Uganda’s Children.” Faith was married to Francis McDonnell until his death in 2014 and has one adult daughter.