"On a humid Sunday afternoon in July last year, a small Christian gathering inside a modest home in India's Uttar Pradesh state was interrupted by a mob. "At least 50 to 60 people associated with a Hindu right-wing organization came when people were receiving a religious message," said Jaynendra (name changed), the pastor leading the prayer. What followed, he said, was chaos. The mob "created a ruckus and closed the prayer hall," Jaynendra said."
"The gathering, held inside his home in the Shahjahanpur district, was not unusual. Like many Christians in northern India, Jaynendra hosts what is known as a house church. It is a quiet form of worship common among small and impoverished Christian communities. But in recent years, such gatherings have increasingly drawn the attention of Hindu right-wing vigilante groups who accuse Christians of carrying out forced conversions."
"India's Christians make up just over 2% of the country's population, compared to around 79% for Hindus and over 14% for Muslims, according to the 2011 census. Data compiled by rights groups indicates a disproportionate rise in violence against Christians over the past decade. In 2025 alone, local monitoring groups documented nearly 900 incidents across multiple Indian states, including physical assaults, disruptions of church services, and threats targeting worshippers, as per a report by Christian Solidarity International."
"In Uttar Pradesh, over a hundred pastors were detained (and eventually released) over claims linked with the state's anti-conversion laws. With Christians in India increasingly targeted by Hindu vigilantes, victims say police often side with their attackers."
A Christian house church gathering in Uttar Pradesh was interrupted by a mob linked to a Hindu right-wing organization, which caused chaos and closed the prayer hall. Such house churches are common among small, impoverished Christian communities in northern India. In recent years, vigilante groups have accused Christians of forced conversions and have targeted these gatherings. Christians are a minority in India, and rights groups report a disproportionate rise in violence against Christians over the past decade. Monitoring groups documented nearly 900 incidents in 2025 across multiple states, including physical assaults, disruptions of church services, and threats against worshippers. In Uttar Pradesh, more than a hundred pastors were detained over claims connected to the state’s anti-conversion laws and were later released.
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