Christian congregation attacked, pastor injured amid rising tension over anti-conversion laws in India

By emmitt barryWorthy News Washington DC Bureau Chief

(Worthy News) – A group of radical Hindu nationalists violently attacked a small Christian congregation in Maharashtra, India, on February 10, seriously injuring a pastor and forcing believers to flee their village.

According to reports from International Christian Concern, about 15 attackers armed with sticks and wooden sticks stormed a worship gathering of about 20 Christians in a temporary shed. The crowd accused the group of engaging in religious conversion – claims believers say were fabricated.

Pastor Raj Uday was left alone during the attack and was severely beaten, while other members of the congregation suffered minor injuries. Eyewitnesses said the attackers made hostile accusations and claimed that the priest was “spoiling Hindu people by converting them to a “foreign” religion.”

Following the attack, the mob vandalized the place of worship, destroying property inside, before driving out Christians from both the church premises and the village. The attackers reportedly warned the group not to return or hold further prayer meetings and threatened them with dire consequences if they did so.

In a disturbing development, members of the crowd later filed a police complaint against the pastor and the congregation. Fearing further violence, displaced Christians have taken refuge in a neighboring village.

The attack comes amid growing concerns over religious freedom in India. Maharashtra, ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently enacted an anti-conversion law, making it the 13th state to enact such a law. Advocacy groups warn that these laws are often misused by extremist elements to justify persecution and violence against minority Christian communities.

Observers have noted a pattern in which attacks on Christians often increase following the introduction of anti-conversion laws, raising concerns about increased persecution in some parts of the country.

oppression in india

Persecution against Christians in India has steadily intensified over the past decade, especially in areas ruled by Hindu nationalist influence. Believers face charges of “forced conversion”, social boycott, mob violence and legal harassment under anti-conversion laws now active in more than a dozen states. Advocacy groups such as International Christian Concern and Open Doors report hundreds of documented incidents annually – ranging from church vandalism and physical attacks to wrongful arrests of clergy. In many rural areas, Christians are driven from their homes, denied access to water or employment, and pressured to renounce their faith.

Yet amidst this pressure, the growth of the Church in India over the past several decades has been remarkable. In 1980, India’s Christian population was estimated at about 30–35 million. Today, estimates suggest the number of believers has grown to between 65–70 million, with millions more coming to the faith despite opposition. Indigenous church movements, especially among lower caste and tribal communities, have played an important role in this expansion. The gospel continues to spread quietly but powerfully – even in areas where open preaching is prohibited.

India also remains one of the most strategically important countries in the 10/40 window – the region stretching through Asia to North Africa where the most disadvantaged people live. Missiologists estimate that more than 2,000 disenfranchised people groups live in India alone, representing one of the largest concentrations of spiritually disenfranchised populations in the world. This makes India both the frontline of oppression and the central focus of global missions.

For believers around the world, there is a deeper and hopeful dimension: prayer. Scripture consistently shows that persecution often accelerates rather than stops the spread of the gospel. As Christians pray for the persecuted Church in India, they participate in God’s continuing grace – strengthening believers, encouraging testimony, and opening doors that no government or opposition can close. History has shown that the blood of martyrs becomes the seed of the Church, and even now, the many testimonies coming from India show resilience, courage, and a deep hunger for Christ in the midst of adversity.

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