More than half of these have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, where Francis and others were detained.
With the decennial census of 2021 postponed due to the COVID pandemic, the India Census Net estimates Uttar Pradesh’s population as of 2023 to be over 231 million.
“In almost all incidents reported across India, vigilante mobs comprising religious extremists have been seen to either barge into a prayer gathering or round up individuals that they believe are involved in forcible religious conversions. With impunity, such mobs criminally threaten and/or physically assault people in prayer before handing them over to the police on allegations of forcible conversions. Often communal sloganeering is witnessed outside police stations, where the police stand as mute spectators,” UCF elaborated.
“Despite widespread international condemnation of the impunity that attackers face, national and state governments have done little to ensure justice,” the UCF said.
The UCF cited the study “Criminalizing the Practice of Faith” conducted by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), which “documented how police colluded with Hindu nationalist groups and turned a blind eye to offenses committed against Christians” in southern Karnataka state.
“Though a lot of killings and atrocities against Christians have been reported in Manipur, UCF policy does not allow us to include these atrocities on Christians as persecution as it is basically rooted in ethnic conflict,” Michael pointed out.
Manipur was engulfed by a bloody clash between ethnic Meiteis (the majority of whom are Hindus) and Kuki tribals (all Christians) since early May, rendering over 50,000 Kukis refugees from the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley. Another 10,000 Meiteis were driven out from Kuki strongholds like Churuchandpur.
The protracted violence has claimed nearly 200 lives — most of them Kuki tribal Christians along with thousands of houses, businesses, and over 600 churches and dozens of temples.
Anto Akkara is a journalist writing from Bangalore, India. He is a regular correspondent with the National Catholic Register. Besides international reporting, Akkara has written books and produced documentaries telling the stories of the martyrs of Kandhamal. He has recieved the St. Titus Brandsma Award for journalism.