Nagaland Baptist body flags attacks on Christians, seeks PM Modi’s intervention

Kohima: The Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expressing concern over what it said was the escalating persecution of members of the Christian community across the country, particularly during the Christmas season.

Calling for his intervention, the NBCC said that the persecution of Christians in India is not an isolated phenomenon, but a growing concern.

“The rising tide of Christian persecution in India is making it increasingly precarious to be a Christian. The pace and intensity of attacks suggest that simply being a Christian is turning into an existential threat,” the NBCC asserted.

Citing data from the United Christians Forum, the church body said that between January and October 2025 alone, more than 600 incidents of violence were documented, averaging two attacks per day, including mob assaults, public humiliation, church disruptions and the demolition of homes.

“It’s a bitter irony that in a country that prides itself on being the world’s largest democracy, citizens are facing attacks for simply celebrating Christmas… The freedom to practise one’s faith seems like a distant dream when such incidents occur again and again,” the letter said.

The NBCC also expressed dismay that Christian Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), including those from the BJP, failed to raise their voices against attacks and hate speech, even in high-profile cases such as Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), Lajpat Nagar (Delhi), a Raipur shopping mall (Chhattisgarh), the St. Mary’s School attack in Nalbari (Assam), and incidents in Kerala and Rajasthan.

“It is unthinkable, as a Christian and citizen of India today, to be on the receiving end of religious persecution. It is quite baffling to understand why so much hatred is vented against a community like Christians. If we consider the contribution of Christians in nation-building, we can proudly say that we are contributing to the security, economy, culture and political shaping of modern India to this day,” the NBCC said.

“Christian understanding of nationalism is loyalty and patriotism to the nation, and in this, Christians have not lacked anything compared to the rest of the cultural Hindu nationalists,” it added.