Rights Tribunal Flags Systemic Threats to Religious Freedom and Equal Citizenship Amid Allegations of Violence Against Christians in India

The People’s Tribunal on Violence Against Christians in India, in a statement issued on June 2, said that when institutions responsible for safeguarding constitutional rights fail to act, discrimination risks becoming normalised and systemic in nature. The statement followed a public hearing held in New Delhi, which marked the culmination of a wider investigation involving field visits and hearings conducted in Chhattisgarh in central India and Odisha in eastern India during April and May this year.

According to the tribunal, members interacted with hundreds of individuals from affected communities, particularly Adivasi and Dalit Christians, documenting reported incidents of violence, social boycott, displacement, and denial of constitutional protections. The tribunal’s member John Dayal, a veteran journalist and activist, stated that survivors described situations where police allegedly failed to protect victims, delayed investigations, registered cases against those who had been attacked, or encouraged informal settlements instead of formal legal proceedings.

The tribunal was composed of human rights advocate Harsh Mander, historian Tanika Sarkar, senior journalist Pamela Philipose, and activist Vidya Dinkar. It asserted that the cases presented before it could not be dismissed as isolated incidents of prejudice or spontaneous hostility.

Harsh Mander said the documentation revealed what he described as a systematic pattern of exclusion that undermines the constitutional promise of equal citizenship and erodes fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. Tanika Sarkar cautioned against what she termed the normalisation of majoritarian intolerance and the shrinking space for religious liberty and democratic citizenship.

The panel also screened a documentary addressing alleged violence against Christians in Madhya Pradesh in central India. The film, produced by Karwan-e-Mohabbat, a people’s campaign advocating constitutional values, was recorded during a fact-finding mission conducted across six districts: Jhabua, Burhanpur, Indore, Dhar, Khandwa, and Sehore.

The documentary presents firsthand accounts of alleged attacks on churches and prayer meetings, intimidation of pastors and worshippers, arrests under anti-conversion laws, social ostracisation, denial of burial rights, and an atmosphere of fear affecting Christian communities. The tribunal noted that the evidence presented also detailed the alleged involvement of organisations associated with Hindutva ideology, alongside responses from political leaders, police, and judicial institutions.

Survivors, according to the statement, shared accounts of intimidation, isolation, and economic hardship while emphasising their continued commitment to practising their faith peacefully despite ongoing challenges.

Christian rights groups maintain that Chhattisgarh and Odisha have witnessed some of the most severe incidents of violence against Christian communities in India in recent decades.

The tribunal concluded that the findings raise serious concerns about the protection of constitutional rights and the effectiveness of institutional safeguards in preventing discrimination and ensuring equal citizenship.