India’s religious minority groups, particularly Muslims, face increasing demonization by hard-line Hindu groups, pro-government media and state officials, says the annual report of rights watchdog Amnesty International. India’s coalition government led by the pro-Hindu Bharati- ya Janata Party (BJP) is using laws to suppress freedom of expression, the report released on Feb. 22 in New Delhi said.

“At least 10 Muslim men were lynched and many injured by vigilante cow protection groups, many of which seemed to operate with the support” of the BJP, it added. Some arrests were made but no convictions were reported.

The report also highlighted that India’s indigenous communities continue to suffer displacement because of industrial projects, while hate crimes against Dalits remain widespread. More than 6,500 crimes were committed against indigenous people in 2016 and their communities continued to face displacement as the government acquired land for projects such as mining, the report said.

In September 2017, activists protested Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat State, saying it had displaced some 40,000 families without paying adequate reparation. “Authorities were openly critical of human rights defenders and organizations, contributing to a climate of hostility against them,” the report said.

The report titled “The State of the World’s Human Rights 2017-18″ covers 159 countries and delivers a comprehen- sive analysis of the state of human rights in the world today.

“Muslims in India and Sri Lanka, Shias in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and Hindus in Bangladesh have all come under attack over the past year. In each case, the governments have either failed to protect them, been indifferent to their fate or even encouraged a climate of hostility,” Patnaik said.

The leader of Baptists in Nagaland has urged politicians in the Christian-majority state not to betray their faith for money and power. “Do not surrender your Christian principles and above all your faith for the sake of money and development,” says Reverend Aelhou Keyho, general secretary of the Nagaland Baptist Churches Council (NBCC) in a letter addressed to leaders of all political parties, mostly Christians, in the northeastern Indian state. Nagaland is scheduled to elect its legislative assembly on February 27.

Reverend Keyho urged the state’s politicians not to fall into “the hands” of those using development as a ploy to “pierce the heart of Jesus Christ” and “allow God to weep.” This was in an apparent reference to the attempts by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to forge electoral alliance and capture power in Nagaland.

The Baptist Church in Meghalaya on February 24 said that no political party has offered it any “money or sops” ahead of February 27 assembly polls to influence its members.

The statement comes a day after Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons rubbished the contention of Congress Presi- dent Rahul Gandhi that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to buy the churches in this poll-bound state.

“No political party has offered any money or sops to the apex Baptist Church organisation with a view to influencing our members.

Separation of Church and State is one of the distinctive (features) of the Baptist Church polity,” said Rev.J.R.Sang- ma, the general secretary of the Garo Baptist Convention, in a statement.

“The Garo Baptist Church is apolitical and neutral in its political dealings.” Sangma said.

Promotion of nationalism based on religion threatened India with annihilation, the nation’s Catholic bishops warned at the conclusion of a biennial meeting. The alarm was sounded following a series of hard-line Hindu attacks on Christian and other religious minorities.

This included attempts by mobs of young Hindus to conduct avowedly patriotic rituals in the grounds of Catholic colleges, notably involving the personification of ‘Mother India.’

It was dangerous to promote nationalism based on any particular culture or religion, the Feb. 2-9 gathering of some 200 bishops from 174 dioceses warned. “Such misconceived efforts can only lead our nation on the path of self-annihilation,” they said.

The bishops met in the southern city of Bangalore for discussions under the theme ‘United in diversity for a mission of mercy and witness.’

They agreed that enhancing of India’s rich cultural and religious diversity was needed to achieve peace and progress.
Militant Hindu groups have stepped up violence against minorities since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power nationally four years ago, critics say.

In 2017, India witnessed 736 incidents of violence against Christians, according to a report of the ecumenical forum ‘Persecution Relief.’ Some hard-line Hindu groups portray Christians and Muslims as being loyal to foreign powers.

Tamil Nadu State in southern India recorded the highest incidents of anti- Christian violence during 2017, according to a study by the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI).

The national alliance of evangelical Christians on February 16 released its annual report on hate crimes against Christians in India for 2017.

The fellowship’s Religious Liberty Commission documented at least 351 cases of violence last year, which it says is not exhaustive. “Most cases go unreported either because the victim is terrified or the police, especially in the northern states, just turn a blind eye and refuse to record the mandatory First Information Report,” the report regrets.

The fellowship has urged the Indian government to uphold the rule of law and to punish those engaged in spreading hatred against religious minorities in the country.

EFI says although violence was “evenly spread across the months of the year,” it peaked during Lent and Christmas that draws larger participation of people. April, the month lent, saw 54 cases and December, the Christmas month, 40.

According to the report, 2017 was among the most trauma- tic periods for Christians in India since the mass targeted violence in the Kandhamal district of Odisha in 2007 and 2008.

“The confidence of the community in the government needs to be restored,” the report asserts.

Among the Indian states, Tamil Nadu recorded 52 cases, followed by Uttar Pradesh in northern India with 50. Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh States in central India recorded 43 and 36 cases.