by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - In further evidence of the increasing power and influence of Hindu nationalism in India, a crowd of young Hindutva activists climbed on top of four church buildings in Madhya Pradesh state, planting Hindu flags with an image of their god and chanting Hindu slogans, Newslaundry reports.
India’s Constitution calls for religious freedom, but the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi since 2014, has increasingly clamped down on religious freedom for non-Hindus. This has emboldened Hindu extremists to violently attack and persecute Christians (and Muslims) in the country. India now ranks 11th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
Concerning India’s Christians, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy group explains in a website statement: “Christians around the nation of India find themselves increasingly under threat. This hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among some Hindu extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu—and any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to violent attacks across the country and impunity for the people who perpetrate this violence, especially in places where the authorities are also Hindu hardliners.”
During Sunday’s incident, a crowd of Hindus gathered in Ranapur tehsil of Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua district and proceeded to climb up and hoist Hindu flags on top of four prayer hall buildings located near each other and run by Protestant Shalom Church and the Church of South India.
In a statement to Newslaundry, Pastor Muniya of Shalom Church said: “A crowd started their rally on motorcycles from a local market in Ranapur block and ended with hoisting saffron flags. It all seemed pre-planned…The crowd swelled as they moved from one prayer hall to another, starting with about 60 people at the time of first flag hoisting to over 200 people in the last one.”