Eight village councils in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have passed resolutions banning Christianity and requiring Christians to renounce their faith. Those who do not will lose their homes, their belongings, and property, usually farmland on which their livelihoods rely.
Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) says Hindu radicals are behind the harassment.
"It is definitely a Hindu persecution, and it is part of a Hindu nationalist movement in India that really says to be Indian is to be a Hindu," he states.
While Hindus are generally associated with peaceful meditation, sacred cows, and reincarnation, Nettleton says a radicalized sect of them has the ears of high-ranking government officials.
"We have seen that influence at the national level under Prime Minister Modi, and now you see it at the village level," the VOM spokesman observes.
But the Indian legal system could provide some relief.
"The Indian constitution says we have religious freedom," Nettleton notes.
The South Asian country is also one of the largest recipients of foreign aid, and the government is particularly sensitive to public criticism.
"A success story of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom is India," Nettleton submits. "They get very upset when you start saying … there's persecution in India."
He believes there is hope for Indian Christians.
