Quick Summary
- Mob destroys homes of four Christian families in Maharashtra, India, after they refuse to renounce their faith.
- Attack follows repeated threats pressuring them to abandon Christianity.
- Displaced families remain without shelter in harsh winter conditions.
A mob of Hindu nationalists demolished the homes of four Christian families in a village in India’s Maharashtra state after they refused to abandon their faith, amid a broader surge in violence against Christians across the country. The attack came after repeated threats warning the families to renounce Christianity or face consequences.
A group of about 20 people in Midapalli village, located in the Gadchiroli District, confronted six Christian families, totaling around 25 individuals, and issued an ultimatum, according to the United Kingdom-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The mob returned the next day, on Jan. 12, and destroyed the homes of four families after they again refused to convert.
Two days later, the victims approached the Kavande Police Station to file a complaint. Police officers there reportedly threatened them instead of offering help, questioning their conversion as members of a tribal community.
The officer in charge reportedly warned them that their identification documents and government ration supplies could be revoked.
On Jan. 14, police summoned the local pastor and interrogated him about his ministry. Officers allegedly dismissed his work as “superstition” and barred him from visiting Christian families in the village.
As of late January, the displaced families remained without shelter in harsh winter conditions, CSW said, adding that the village’s remote location has made external assistance difficult.
Christian residents have said they plan to escalate the matter by petitioning the District Collector for intervention.
CSW President Mervyn Thomas accused the local administration of failing to protect the families and called for immediate action to ensure their safety, compensate them for their losses and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The assault comes amid a pattern of violence against Christians in India, with the United Christian Forum recording 834 attacks in 2024, 734 in 2023 and 601 in 2022. Over 900 attacks were recorded between January and May 2025.
Christian activist Minakshi Singh attributed the violence to false accusations of forced conversions, explaining that the Supreme Court had asked for evidence of such conversions in 2022 but that no federal or state government had provided any documentation to support the claims.
Twelve of India’s 28 states have laws restricting religious conversion. Most of these states are governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, whose leaders are accused by Christian organizations of creating a climate of hostility against religious minorities.
Christian leaders have long argued that anti-conversion laws are used to justify intimidation and violence against their communities. They say Hindu nationalist groups exploit the legislation to carry out campaigns of social exclusion and legal harassment.
A.C. Michael, national convenor of the United Christian Forum and a former member of the Delhi Minorities Commission, described the situation as “viral hate, brutal mob violence and rampant social ostracization.”
He warned that the continued rise in such incidents threatens the survival of India’s Christian minority. Michael said that fear of retaliation keeps many victims from reporting attacks.
In December, he urged the central government to appoint a senior official to lead a nationwide investigation into the growing number of anti-Christian incidents.
Christians make up 2.3% of India’s population, according to the 2011 census. Advocacy groups say they have become increasingly vulnerable to both state neglect and societal aggression in recent years.
