Cardinal Oswald Gracias, newly elected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, has expressed “anguish” over increasing threats to pluralism in the country.

“Intolerance is causing a certain amount of anxiety to us,” Cardinal Gracias said in Bangalore, while addressing a news conference at the end of the assembly of Indian bishops.

“Diversity is one of the strengths of India. It is known world over for its diversity of culture, language and religion. Any attempt to divide people by certain sections will be harmful for the nation,” cautioned Cardinal Gracias, responding to a question on how the bishops’ assembly viewed the increasing threats to diversity in recent years.

Human rights groups have expressed concern over religious-based crime in India, and the government has confirmed an increase in violence based on religion.

Auxiliary Bishop Theodore Mascarenhas of Ranchi, secretary-general of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, said attacks on pluralism were “not only against Christians, but all Indians.”

“You cannot allow a few rabid elements to spoil the harmony. It is a question of upholding constitutional values and rule of law,” the bishop added.

India’s pro-Hindu government has presented detailed data in parliament showing a surge in religion-based violence since it came to power four years ago. The statistics, revealed on Feb. 6, confirm a long-standing allegation by rights groups that the situation is worsening.

In 2017, 111 persons were killed and at least 2,384 injured in 822 cases of sectarian violence, the highest figure in the past three years. In 2016, 86 persons were killed and 2,321 injured in 703 incidents of religion-based violence.

Parliament was told that the highest number of sectarian incidents was reported in India’s most populous State, Uttar Pradesh, which has 200 million people, some 40 million of them Muslims.

The state, where the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept to power in last year’s provincial elections, witnessed 195 incidents of religion-based violence in 2017, claiming 44 lives and injuring 452 people.

Four Catholic priests have been charged with rioting and criminal intimidation in India’s Madhya Pradesh State over a land dispute involving a hard-line Hindu group. The priests of Ujjain Diocese resisted an attempt by a Hindu group to take over a piece of land in front of a Catholic Church-run hospital in Ujjain, a city with a Hindu temple and a site for pilgrims.

“No one has been arrested yet,” an official of Madhav Nagar police station, where the case has been registered, told ucanews.com on Feb. 1.

The dispute revolves around a plot of land adjacent to Pushpa Mission Hospital, a 44-year-old facility with 200 beds. Hospital authorities say the local civic body gave the public land to the hospital for use as a parking area and to maintain its greenery. However, some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the pro-Hindu party that runs the state government, attempted to take over the land on Jan. 27, accusing the church of illegally occupying the site. However, the church obtained a “stay order” to maintain the status quo from the Madhya Pradesh State High Court.

Gagan Singh, who led the crowd and claimed to be the owner of the public land, is the assistant to the local BJP parliamentarian for the area. Church officials say charges against them were framed under political influence.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on January 30 hit out at the BJP-led NDA government for offering money to churches in Congress-ruled Meghalaya ahead of the assembly elections.

“You will find the BJP has a lot of money. These days their leadership believes that everything can be bought,” he said drumming up support for his party candidates in the seven assembly  constituencies in Jaintia Hills district.

“I am very sad to hear that the BJP offered money to our churches in what I consider to be a huge sum…,” said Gandhi, who travelled 60 km to Jowai, the district headquarters of Jaintia Hills.

The Congress President is scheduled to meet Church leaders of various Christian denominations over breakfast on January 31 Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, state Congress President Celestine Lyngdoh, Lok Sabha member Vincent H.Pala and others accompanied the party leader.

On January 7, Union Tourism Minister K.J. Alphons announced a tourism package of Rs 70 crore to develop religious and spiritual circuits in the state.

But the Presbyterian Church and Catholic Church, besides the opposition Hill State People’s Democratic Party, raised their eyebrows on the offer.

Election to the 60-member Meghalaya Assembly will be held on February 27. “There is no price, there is no amount of money that can buy the people of Meghalaya. The BJP may buy a few leaders here and there as few leaders may defect to the BJP or their proxy the NPP (National People’s Party),” the Congress President said.