The first month of 2021 brought no respite to Christians in India as the Religious Liberty Commission recorded 29 incidents where Christians were targeted, opposed, threatened or physically attacked.

The state of Madhya Pradesh led the tally with 9 incidents recorded against Christians, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 6 and Chhattisgarh with 5 incidents. Odisha saw three incidents, while Maharashtra saw two and Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Telangana recorded one incident each.

Incidentally, both Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have recently brought in strict ordinances that aim to prohibit religious conversions and there are at least 4 incidents where Christians have been accused and charged under the provisions of the recently passed ordinances in the states – three in Madhya Pradesh and one, reportedly, in Uttar Pradesh. Concerns have been raised about these ordinances being unconstitutional and they are being challenged in court.