In yet another incident of attack on minorities, a mob of Hindutva outfits, led by a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, attacked Christians in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur on Friday, July 5, over allegations of forced religious conversion.
According to reports, the incident took place when a group of Christians had gathered for a prayer meeting at a private residence. The furious mob, led by VHP leader Rajesh Singhal, barged into the house, and attacked those present in the meeting, accusing them of engaging in forced conversions.
The mob left the attendees, including women, with grievous injuries. Subsequently, the Mathura Gate police team arrived and arrested 20 people.
Speaking about the incident, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said, “A complaint was received that people had gathered at a house in the RIICO area for religious conversion following which some people have been detained for interrogation.”
“Investigation has been initiated into the matter,” DSP added.
While speaking to the media, VHP’s district president said that their group had received information that forced conversions were being done in the house.
“The Christian missionaries were luring Hindus to convert to Christianity. When they sent a VHP member to the house for confirmation, a woman there claimed they were running a library, but a religious conversion event was taking place,” Singh added.
This incident comes amid a series of allegations of religious conversion in the state with Hindu right-wing organisations claiming that thousands of Hindus have been lured and converted to Christianity through allurements and false promises.
The Hindu groups argue that the conversions are part of a larger conspiracy involving foreign funding and organisations.
Earlier on July 3, Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Mahim assembly segment president, Akshata Tendulkar, stormed into a Christian prayer meeting and abused the participants over similar allegations in Mumabai’s Prabhadevi.
On June 12, three men belonging to the Christian community were thrashed by Bajrang Dal members over suspicion of religious conversions in Chikhali village of Pune district in Maharashtra.
UCF 2023 report
Last year, the United Christian Forum (UCF) stated that 400 acts of violence against Christians occurred across 23 states in the first half of 2023, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list of states with 155 cases.
The UCF reported an alarming increase in incidences of violence against Christians since 2014. The following are the recorded numbers: 147 incidents in 2014, 177 incidents in 2015, 208 incidents in 2016, 240 incidents in 2017, 292 incidents in 2018, 328 incidents in 2019, 279 incidents in 2020, 505 incidents in 2021, 599 incidents in 2022, and now 400 occurrences in the first 190 days of 2023.
The UCF draws attention to a concerning trend whereby Christians, despite being victims of these atrocities, face a higher number of First Information Reports (FIRs) compared to the accused. The organization highlights that the police often fail to adequately investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of mob violence. False allegations of conversions under the Freedom of Religion Act have led to 63 FIRs being lodged against Christians, it said.
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