In Andhra Pradesh state, officials are conducting a survey to identify all Christians who have come from Hindu families, married a Hindu or are conducting Christian activities. Such surveys have generally led to increased persecution and discrimination.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has seen a 20 percent increase in membership.
Its emboldened base seeks to forcibly unite India under Hinduism despite the country’s great diversity of languages, cultures and religions.
Although Prime Minister Modi has publicly said his government will not tolerate religious discrimination, his actions have proved otherwise. Vague policies, such as laws forbidding the conversion of Hindus, have passed in several Indian states, and the push for a similar federal law has gained support. These state anti-conversion laws have long been used against pastors, church planters and evangelists.
Conversely, reconversion ceremonies known as Ghar Wapsi, or ‘homecoming’, which return Indians to Hinduism (sometimes by force), have become increasingly common. Despite greater government restrictions on Christianity, churches are growing
Front-line workers ask for prayer for Christians in India as violence against Christians grows and is expected to increase even more as the 2023 national elections approach.
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