Christians in India faced the highest number of violent incidents ever recorded in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of escalating attacks against the minority community, according to monitoring groups cited by Christian Solidarity International (CSI).
Local sources documented close to 900 cases during the year, including physical assaults, church disruptions, intimidation of worshippers and the use of police complaints to harass pastors and congregations. The violence peaked during the Christmas season, with incidents reported across multiple states such as Delhi, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
CSI and other faith-based organisations said attacks during Advent and Christmas included harassment of carol singers, raids on churches and the forced cancellation of public celebrations. In one widely reported incident in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur city, a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politician entered a church on Christmas Day and assaulted a visually impaired woman during a prayer service, an episode that drew national attention and condemnation from church leaders.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India called on political authorities to act decisively against individuals and organisations spreading communal hatred, while also flagging the role of online hate campaigns in fuelling violence. In Kerala, police arrested a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) after an attack on children during a Christmas carol performance, while in other states police restrictions and vigilante pressure led to dozens of events being curtailed.
According to data compiled by the United Christian Forum, each year since 2021 has set a new record for reported violence against Christians: 486 incidents in 2021, rising to 601 in 2022, 734 in 2023 and 834 in 2024, before climbing to nearly 900 in 2025. Human rights advocates say misinformation around alleged “forced conversions” and the aggressive use of state anti-conversion laws are key drivers of the surge.
Anti-conversion laws, enacted in several BJP-ruled states, prohibit religious conversion by “force”, “fraud” or “inducement”. Christian groups argue that these laws are routinely invoked without evidence, allowing complaints to be filed that disrupt worship, lead to arrests and create a climate of fear even when cases do not result in convictions. As of January 2026, at least 110 Christians remained in jail under such laws, despite more than 600 having been released during 2025 following legal interventions, CSI said.
The violence has been particularly acute in Uttar Pradesh and in central and eastern states with large tribal populations, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha. Rights groups warn that tribal Christians face intensified pressure, with Hindu nationalist organisations opposing Christian missions and challenging burial rights, social welfare entitlements and cultural identity.
In response to the year-long spike in attacks, hundreds of Christians and civil society groups staged protests in New Delhi in late December, demanding government accountability and the repeal of anti-conversion laws. Demonstrators warned that the continuing pattern of violence and legal harassment poses a serious challenge to India’s constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equality.
