Christian leaders in Chhattisgarh have appealed to authorities for police protection during Christmas and New Year celebrations, citing a sharp rise in violence and intimidation against the minority community. The state has emerged as a major hotspot of anti-Christian hostility, recording 165 attacks in 2024 — the second-highest in India, according to the United Christian Forum. Christian leaders say the situation has worsened since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) returned to power in 2023, with many attacks allegedly carried out by Hindu nationalist groups targeting tribal Christians. “We met the district magistrate of Jashpur on Dec. 8 and requested security for churches and Christian families,” said Kamal Kujur, president of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha. He said delegations will approach officials in all districts to ensure peaceful Christmas celebrations.

Christian pastors report that house churches are frequently attacked, with mobs disrupting prayer meetings, abusing worshippers, and physically assaulting them. Many allege that police often refuse to register complaints from Christians while readily accepting accusations from Hindu groups claiming “forced conversions. “Instances of police pressure have increased, leaders say. In August, hundreds of Pentecostal congregations suspended Sunday services after police instructed them to seek prior permission for worship. In Raipur, nearly 100 pastors were reportedly asked to halt gatherings to “maintain law and order.” Concerns grew in November when the Chhattisgarh High Court upheld village hoardings restricting the entry of “converted Christians,” ruling that they protected tribal culture — a decision Christians say has deepened their sense of vulnerability. With Christians forming less than 2% of the state’s 30 million people, community leaders urge authorities to safeguard their right to celebrate peacefully amid escalating fears.

Around 2,000 Christians from across India gathered in New Delhi on 29 November 2025 to protest what organisers described as a rise in sustained and systematic violence against the Christian community, calling for justice, unity and constitutional protections amid rising incidents of attacks. The demonstration was held under the banner of the National Christian Convention, bringing together representatives from over 200 denominations, civil society groups and legal advocates to highlight concerns over increasing violence and impunity. Speakers at the rally pointed to data showing reported incidents of anti-Christian violence rising sharply over the past decade, with cases documented nationally by organisations such as the United Christian Forum. 

According to figures referenced by participants, reported incidents of violence against Christians rose from 139 in 2014 to 834 in 2024, with nearly 5,000 incidents documented over the past decade. Organisers called attention to what they described as a pattern of assaults, threats and discrimination that they say often goes unpunished. Protesters resolved to draft a national manifesto outlining demands for stronger protection of religious freedoms and justice for persecuted believers. The manifesto is intended to be submitted to key constitutional authorities including the President of India, the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and relevant ministers. 

Participants shared accounts of violence that included killings, assaults and denials of burial rights. In one reported case from Chhattisgarh in May 2024, a Christian man was killed and his case was recorded as a land dispute, while in Odisha a mob blocked the burial of a young Christian man, forcing his family to exhume his body despite a formal complaint. Organisers said a key concern remains impunity, with reports indicating that a high proportion of violent incidents do not result in formal legal action, and urged the government and law enforcement to uphold constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and equal protection under the law.

Church leaders across India have welcomed a Supreme Court directive reserving 30 percent of seats on state bar councils for women, calling the ruling a major stride toward gender equality in the legal profession.

The order, issued on Dec. 8 by a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, mandates that where elected representatives fail to meet the 30 percent quota, councils must fill at least 20 percent through voting and the remaining 10 percent by co-opting qualified women lawyers. The court said the measure aims to correct the severe underrepresentation of women in bar council bodies.

Petitioners informed the court that only 9 of the 441 elected members across 18 state bar councils — barely 2 percent — were women, and that 11 councils had no women at all. The bench held that such composition violates constitutional guarantees of equality and fails to reflect the steady increase in women entering the legal field.

Father Robinson Rodrigues, spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), called the ruling “a wonderful order” that would help reduce gender discrimination and strengthen women’s participation in shaping legal institutions.

Supreme Court lawyer Sister Mary Scaria of the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary said the move would introduce “unique perspectives” to legal governance and improve public trust. She added that women’s representation should eventually rise to 50 percent.

Holy Spirit Sister Julie George, who heads a national forum of Catholic priests and religious lawyers, described the directive as progressive but noted that men would still hold 70 percent of seats. Jesuit lawyer Father A. Santhanam from Tamil Nadu called the ruling “historic” and a vital step toward dismantling patriarchy within the legal system.

In the crowded lanes of Perumbavoor and the quiet shelter of Palluruthy, migrant workers from Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Jharkhand opened up about their hardships and resilience to a visiting team from Don Bosco for Migrants (DB4M). Their accounts — from mothers, factory workers, and young men living far from home — brought into focus the human side of India’s vast migrant labour force during a two-day immersion programme in Kerala.

The Source and Destination Visit, held on November 29–30, brought together DB4M representatives from Tiruchy, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Kolkata. The team met government officials, NGOs, police officers, and church institutions across Vaduthala, Angamaly, Perumbavoor, and Palluruthy. The mission opened with a Eucharistic celebration in Angamaly, where Fr. Francis Bosco stressed that migrant welfare is a shared duty of the Church, civil society, and the state.

Field visits exposed several pressing concerns, including limited healthcare access, workplace injuries, wage disputes, and social risks such as child marriage and drug use. Inspector Samad of Kerala Police highlighted the importance of proper documentation and child protection, while the Rajagiri Suraksha Migrant Project drew attention to the danger of sexually transmitted infections.

A positive example emerged at the Salesian-run Migrant Shelter in Palluruthy, where around 50 workers live with dignity through a self-managed system of housing and food — a model DB4M identified as worth replicating. Visits to Kitex garment factory and St. George Church showcased both the opportunities and restrictions migrant families navigate, including mobility limits and educational challenges for children.

The Centre for Migration and Inclusive Development (CMID) provided broader insights into Kerala’s rising dependence on migrant labour. Their mobile health units, multilingual outreach, and helpline partnerships demonstrated effective strategies for migrant inclusion.

In its final assessment, DB4M called for extended future visits and outlined priorities such as enhanced pastoral support for Odia migrants, stronger Mass offerings in industrial hubs, involvement of seminarians, and collaboration with Odia priests during major festivals. The visit concluded with gratitude to CMID, SEWA, the Salesians, and the Kerala Migrant Commission, reaffirming DB4M’s commitment to accompany migrant workers whose labour sustains Kerala’s economy and whose dignity demands continued attention.

India’s Supreme Court has admitted a petition filed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) challenging the constitutional validity of Rajasthan’s newly enacted anti-conversion law, considered one of the harshest in the country. “We are happy that the Supreme Court has accepted our petition,” said Sister Sayujya Bindhu, secretary of the CBCI legal cell. Rajasthan became the 12th Indian state to pass such a law when the assembly approved the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2025, on Sept. 9.

The law imposes penalties of up to 20 years in prison and fines of one million rupees for alleged conversions involving minors, women, persons with disabilities, and members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes. Mass conversions, if deemed illegal, can attract life imprisonment and fines of 2.5 million rupees, with repeat offenders facing even higher penalties. It also provides for up to 14 years in jail for using marriage as a means of conversion.

Bindhu, a lawyer, said the law violates constitutional guarantees that protect an individual’s right to profess, practice, and propagate their faith. She warned that vague terms such as “allurement” and “coercion” could be exploited to target Christians and their institutions, noting that even providing education or medical care might be misinterpreted as inducement.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih admitted the petition on Dec. 8 and directed the Rajasthan government to submit its response. The case has been tagged with similar petitions challenging the law.

CBCI spokesperson Robinson Rodrigues said the legislation undermines religious freedom and has become a tool for filing false allegations of conversion. The Supreme Court is already hearing challenges to similar laws in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and other states. Enforcement of these laws has triggered numerous complaints against Christians and Muslims.