Philippe Lissac / Godong

Illustration photo. Mass in India.

Two priests, Father Joseph Amalraj and Father Sushil Kerketta were attacked in two separate incidents in two northern Indian states in early June.

The daily life of Christians in India seems far from serene. In early June, two priests were attacked in separate incidents in two northern states, report UCA News. The first altercation took place in Kherki Daula village in Gurugram, Haryana state, which is ruled by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the state enforced strict anti-conversion laws in 2022, the priest was intimidated by “a group of about 25 men” who accused him of trying to convert people, said the Delhi archdiocese. Wearing “scarves and armed with swords”, they entered the church during Sunday mass and warned the priest that he must “close the church within two weeks”, the diocese continued. The priest will be slapped.

In Odisha state, a gang of thieves looted around 600,000 rupees (about 6,800 euros, editor’s note) from a parish in Sambalpur Diocese on May 31. Armed with guns, they allegedly demanded money and attacked the parish priest, Father Sushil Kerketta, who was injured in the head. A police official, Raj Kishore Mishra, told the media that the police had opened an investigation.

Christians make up 2.3% of the population

Crushed under the influence of Hindu nationalism, religious minorities struggle to find their place. Founded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, it regularly targets the country’s Christian and Muslim minorities. Christians, mostly Protestants, represent 2.3% of India’s total population, or 30 million people out of 1.3 billion people. Although present since the 4th century, they are the object of discriminatory action by government and federal authorities.

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