Commission points to mob attacks, home demolitions, arrests linked to conversion allegations
International political observers say the Indian government was allowing hate speech and calls for violence against Muslims. PHOTO: APP/FILE
A US government advisory body has urged Washington to press Indian authorities to hold those responsible for attacks on religious minorities accountable, citing what it described as a recent escalation in violence by Hindu nationalist mobs targeting Christians and Muslims.
In a statement issued this week, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) said attacks against Christians had intensified over the past two months, with January witnessing multiple incidents across several Indian states.
USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler highlighted an incident in Odisha in which Pastor Bipin Bihari Naik was allegedly assaulted by a Hindu mob while conducting Sunday prayers inside a house. According to the commission, the mob accused the pastor of forced religious conversions, dragged him outside and forced him to eat cow dung.
“Such attacks further justify USCIRF’s call for the US Department of State to designate India a Country of Particular Concern,” Hartzler said, referring to a designation reserved for countries accused of severe violations of religious freedom.
The commission said the Odisha incident was part of a broader pattern of harassment, vandalism and violence against religious minorities. It cited reports that in Maharashtra, the homes of four Christian families were demolished after they refused to renounce their faith. In Andhra Pradesh, a minibus carrying evangelical Christians was attacked, set on fire and its passengers beaten with cricket bats and stones.
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In February, a separate incident in Chhattisgarh saw a Hindu mob set fire to several Muslim homes following allegations that a man had desecrated a Hindu temple, USCIRF said.
Vice Chair Asif Mahmood said allegations of forced conversion were frequently used by vigilante groups to justify violence and arbitrary detention. He expressed concern over the tightening of anti-conversion laws in several Indian states, arguing that lower evidentiary standards had increased the risk of abuse.
Mahmood pointed to the recent arrest of 12 Muslim men in Uttar Pradesh for praying inside a private home, adding that in some states, individuals convicted under such laws could face life sentences.
In its 2025 annual report, USCIRF recommended that the US Department of State designate India as a Country of Particular Concern due to what it termed “systematic, ongoing, and egregious” violations of religious freedom. The commission has since released an issue update on religious persecution in India and held a hearing in January focusing on challenges faced by Christians.
India’s government has previously rejected international criticism of its human rights record, describing such assessments as biased and an interference in internal affairs.
