The CBCI’s assertion came as Christians have faced increasing attacks and harassment from Hindutva groups, with many incidents going unreported or ignored by authorities
NEW DELHI – The country is witnessing a dangerous climate and is “gripped by fear and pain,” the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) said on Monday. In a press briefing led by Archbishop Anil JT Couto, CBCI Secretary General, the Christian body expressed concern that minorities are being rendered increasingly vulnerable to “rising attacks by communal elements” amid “the disturbing apathy of those entrusted with enforcing the law and upholding constitutional values.”
It expressed deep alarm over the escalating hostility and violence faced by minority communities in the country.
The CBCI’s assertion came as Christians have faced increasing attacks and harassment from Hindutva groups, with many incidents going unreported or ignored by authorities. Despite constitutional guarantees of religious freedom, Christians have been subjected to violence, intimidation, and vandalism, particularly in states with a strong Hindutva presence.
Highlighting a serious instance of incitement, the CBCI cited a speech by BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar in Kupwad, Sangli in Maharashtra on June 17, where he allegedly said, “Whoever beats the first priest will get five lakhs, the second four lakhs, and the third three lakhs.”
The CBCI noted that the statement was “neither vague nor ambiguous” and amounted to incitement to religiously motivated violence.
“Such a statement warrants immediate and decisive legal intervention, particularly when the incitement is explicit, direct, and poses an imminent threat to public order,” the Christian body said.
It asserted that such remarks are punishable under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deals with promoting enmity and threatening national integrity.
The bishops alleged that despite the protests and public outcry, law enforcement authorities have reportedly “failed to even register an FIR.”
The CBCI sharply contrasted this inaction with “the swift legal response often witnessed against students, activists, and opposition leaders for far less, such as a tweet or peaceful dissent.”
The CBCI also condemned the arrest of two Catholic religious sisters at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh on July 25. The sisters were accompanying two girls, both adults, who had provided written consent letters from their parents.
They claimed that the arrest was carried out “at the behest of communal elements” and that the sisters were “subjected to physical assault.”
Moreover, when the girls’ parents arrived at the station, the police “illegally prevented them from meeting their daughters.”
The CBCI expressed concern over the addition of Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, which was not part of the original FIR but later appeared in the Section 173 BNSS report.
International human rights organizations have expressed concern over the rising tide of violence and intimidation against Christians in the country, and have called on the government to take concrete steps to protect the rights of religious minorities. However, the Narendra Modi government has often responded by dismissing these concerns as “foreign interference” or “misinformation,” rather than taking meaningful action to address the issue.
Commenting on the recent disturbing judicial trends, the CBCI stated that “abdication of its duty by the courts is the beginning of anarchy.” It referenced troubling patterns, such as “a Chief Justice of India holding court to decide allegations against himself,” and judges seeking divine help for complex cases rather than relying on constitutional principles.
“The latest trend of the higher court judges’ preaching for a majoritarian rule in the country, keeping custody of sacks full of cash, etc., portends serious danger for our democracy,” they said.
The CBCI warned that such trends are symptoms of “a deconstruction of the constitutional state and the communalisation of independent institutions,” calling this development “too serious to ignore.”
The CBCI issued “a clarion call to the nation,” urging “the government of India, all political parties, and people of goodwill” to act decisively.
“Take appropriate constitutional steps to save the nation and its people,” they urged.
