Christian religion in India concept. Wooden cross crucifix on brown rosary and flag of India.
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
(Worthy News) – A group of radical Hindu nationalists violently attacked a small Christian congregation in Maharashtra, India, on February 10, leaving a pastor seriously injured and forcing believers to flee their village.
According to reports from International Christian Concern, approximately 15 attackers armed with sticks and wooden clubs stormed a worship gathering of about 20 Christians meeting in a makeshift shed. The mob accused the group of engaging in religious conversions—claims believers say were fabricated.
Pastor Raj Uday was singled out and severely beaten during the assault, while other members of the congregation suffered minor injuries. Witnesses said the attackers shouted hostile accusations, claiming the pastor was “spoiling Hindu people” by converting them to what they described as a “foreign” religion.
747 incidents in one year…
The Evangelical Fellowship of India reports rising hostility against Christians across India in 2025.
From disrupted prayers to threats and violence, many communities continue to face serious challenges.
Faith persists—but the call for justice grows… pic.twitter.com/clNOzGLaYy
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Following the attack, the mob vandalized the place of worship, destroying property inside before chasing the Christians out of both the church premises and the village. The attackers reportedly warned the group not to return or hold any further prayer meetings, threatening serious consequences if they did.
In a troubling development, members of the mob later filed a police complaint against the pastor and the congregation. Fearing further violence, the displaced Christians have taken refuge in a neighboring village.
The attack comes amid growing concerns over religious freedom in India. Maharashtra, governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently enacted an anti-conversion law, making it the 13th state to implement such legislation. Advocacy groups warn that these laws are frequently misused by extremist elements to justify harassment and violence against minority Christian communities.
Observers note a pattern in which the introduction of anti-conversion laws is often followed by a spike in attacks on Christians, raising alarms about increasing persecution in parts of the country.
Persecution in India
Persecution against Christians in India has steadily intensified over the past decade, particularly in regions governed by Hindu nationalist influence. Believers increasingly face accusations of “forced conversions,” social boycotts, mob violence, and legal harassment under anti-conversion laws now active in more than a dozen states. Advocacy groups such as International Christian Concern and Open Doors report hundreds of documented incidents annually—ranging from church vandalism and physical assaults to wrongful arrests of pastors. In many rural areas, Christians are driven from their homes, denied access to water or employment, and pressured to renounce their faith.
Yet amid this pressure, the growth of the Church in India over the past several decades has been remarkable. In 1980, India’s Christian population was estimated at roughly 30–35 million. Today, estimates suggest that number has grown to between 65–70 million believers, with millions coming to faith despite opposition. Indigenous church movements, particularly among lower-caste and tribal communities, have played a significant role in this expansion. The gospel has continued to spread quietly but powerfully—even in regions where open evangelism is restricted.
India also remains one of the most strategically significant nations in the 10/40 Window—the area spanning North Africa through Asia where the least-reached peoples live. Missiologists estimate that India alone is home to over 2,000 unreached people groups, representing one of the largest concentrations of spiritually unengaged populations in the world. This makes India both a frontline of persecution and a central focus of global missions.
For believers worldwide, there is a profound and hopeful dimension: prayer. Scripture consistently shows that persecution often accelerates the spread of the gospel rather than stopping it. As Christians pray for the persecuted Church in India, they participate in God’s sustaining grace—strengthening believers, emboldening witness, and opening doors that no government or opposition can shut. History has shown that the blood of the martyrs becomes the seed of the Church, and even now, many testimonies emerging from India reflect resilience, courage, and a deepening hunger for Christ in the midst of adversity.
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