This week, the Indian Catholic bishop strongly denounced law enforcement for failing to indict state lawmakers who publicly provided up to USD 12,663 (Rs 1.1 million) for violent attacks on Christian leaders.
The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CBCI) has expressed “deep anguish and alarm over the growing climate of hostility and violence against minority communities in the country” following the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Gopichand Padalkar’s offer of inflammation and police failure. Padalkar is a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
At a press conference issued on Monday (July 28), the bishop referenced Padalkar’s June 17 speech in Sangri district, Maharashtra. There, “We must declare Rs 500,000 or 5,756 USD) to declare Rs 500,000 or 5,756 USD) to be given (Rs 400,000 or 4,605 USD), and a third Rs 3 (Rs 300,000 or 3,454 USD) as a prize.”
Padalkar also provided 110,000 rupees (1.1 million rupees or 12,663 USD) for violence against Christian leaders, the bishop noted.
The CBCI argued that such statements “ensure immediate and decisive legal intervention, particularly when agitation is explicit and direct and poses an imminent threat to the public order.”
The bishops said the speech was “a clear case of religiously motivated incitement to violence and was based on serious crimes under Section 152 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in 2023.
The CBCI sharply criticized the failure of law enforcement actions, saying, “Notwithstanding this, law enforcement reportedly failed to register its First Information Report (FIR), despite peaceful demonstrations by thousands of related citizens.
Bishops described such selective enforcement as “a serious violation of the Constitution,” and “reflects the surprising erosion of institutional equity.”
Padalkal issued a controversial statement during a torch march in the Kupuwad area of Sangri on June 17, targeting Christian priests and pastors who were condemned for forced religious conversions. The statement comes after 28-year-old pregnant Rutsya Rajaj died of suicide in the Sangri district.
Escalation of anti-Christian rhetoric
During the torch march, Padalkar issued a series of inflammatory statements targeting Christians and Muslims.
In addition to the layered remuneration system for attacks on Christian missionaries, legislators call people who are involved in “Muslims” (in relation to Muslims), “force Christianity on others,” and “we need to carry out “jcb” on such pitons.”
Padalkar also threatened what he called an unauthorized prayer house, demanding that local officials “a list of all unauthorized prayer houses in the Sangri district, as soon as possible, on the third day, such prayer houses should be demolished.”
“If a person is working in the government based on reservations under Hindu Dharma and they follow a different religion, they should be rejected,” he added.
The MLA assured participants that they “will try to bring in laws against religious conversion in the state legislature’s monsoon session,” and that “we will eliminate those who will come for your conversion and I will take care of the police.”
Large protests throughout the state
The announcement of Padalkar sparked a widespread demonstration in Maharashtra. On July 11th, thousands of Christians from various denominations gathered in Azadmaidan, the capital Mumbai, hosted by Sakura Christi Samaj, supporting more than 20 Christian organizations.
The demonstrations attracted prominent political leaders, including members of the National Congress of India (INC), Bai Jagtap, Varsha Gaikwad and Vijay Waddettywar parliament, as well as leaders of other prominent opposition parties, such as Jayant Patil of the National Assembly and Abu Azmi of the Samajwadi Party.
Pastor Fraser Mascurenhas, former principal of St. Xavier University in Mumbai, and Janet Doza, former vice-chairman of Maharashtra Minority Committee.
Inc MP Varsha Gaikwad denounced what she called the government’s “policy of misleading, divising and controlling” and said, “Essentially, the ideology of the RSS-BJP is to spread hatred and divide the country into a society. In Maharashtra today, injustice is constantly being carried out by the poor, the Dalits, the adivasis and the minority.”
A similar protest broke out in Pune, with members of the Pune Christian Forum holding a demonstration outside the district collector’s office on July 8th. Christians in Jarna district held a mocha (previous) on June 30th, with protesters carrying placards and demanding criminal charges against lawmakers.
The protesters called for immediate disqualification of Padalkar from his legislative mail and called for criminal charges under the relevant departments of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (New Criminal Code in India) including encouragement to commit violence, riots and murder.
The demonstration was part of a wider statewide protest campaign held by similar darnas (sit-in protests) and Morchas in several cities and districts in Maharashtra.
Norbert Mendonsa, vice president of Bombay Catholic Sabah, confirmed that the issue was formally raised in the Maharashtra Legislature during the session during the protests. The Christian community has expressed hope that the issue will provide adequate attention from lawmakers.
Church leaders condemn the threat
Pastor Vijaish Lal, general secretary of India’s Evangelical Fellowship, said that providing cash remuneration for violence is all beyond acceptable boundaries.
“Electional representatives should not encourage attacks on citizens based on their beliefs,” Lal told Morningstar News. “Such statements not only put lives at risk, they undermine the very principles in which our nation was established. We sue for decisive action to ensure that this rhetoric is not translated into actual violence.”
Rafael Doza, former president of Bombay Catholic Sabah, criticized the state government for silence on the issue.
“The biggest concern is the lack of response. Even if Gopichand Padalkar, one of his sitting MLAs, says, ‘I’ll attack these Christians. I’ll give you three rupees,'” D’Souza told Catolic Connect. “No action has been taken against him despite the Maharashtra legislative assembly being held during the session.”
He defended the contribution of the Christian community to Indian society.
“We are a peace-loving community that has played an important role in education, healthcare and social services,” he said. “These charges of coercion are completely unfounded. There is no IOTA of evidence. They are only unfounded allegations.”
Archbishop Elias Gonsalves of Nagpur called the announcement of the MLA “remorse,” saying, “We are against forced conversion. India is a democratic institution with secular credentials and constitutional guarantees.”
Melwin Fernandez, secretary to the Christian Association involved, described the statement as “a direct attack on the very structure of our secular democracy. It is shocking and discouraged that our elected leaders have been deprived of such perceived rhetoric, thereby undermining and segregating their country’s Christians.”
The BJP puts itself at a distance
Faced with criticism, the BJP tried to distance himself from Padalkar’s statement.
Mumbai BJP general secretary and Christian Agnero Fernandez is called “very irresponsible” and “dangerous.”
“We will strongly separate ourselves from Padalkar’s statement,” Fernandez said in an official statement. “The remarks made by Padalkar are his personal views and do not reflect the official party position.”
Fernandez, who represents the party’s minority mortha (front) said, “As a Christian myself and as a representative of the minority mortha, I can be confident that the Christian community in India does not support forced religious conversion.”
He admitted that “there may be a few individuals or fringe groups acting for personal interest,” but emphasized that “it is unfair and dangerous to portray an entire community with the same brush.”
Fernandez asked Padalkar to engage with the Christian community to better understand their values and contributions.
The growth patterns of persecution
Early on July 9, Maharashtra’s income minister Chandrashekar Bhawankuru announced that the state government had introduced laws to prevent religious conversion and ordered an investigation called “illegal churches” in tribal areas.
The Archdiocese of Bombay expressed “deep concern” over Baukur’s proposal for strict anti-change laws, arguing that such laws are at risk of developing sectors and targeting vulnerable communities.
Christians make up less than 1% of Maharashtra’s population, but there are important communities in Mumbai and other urban areas. The state has witnessed an increase in harassment and violence against the Christian community in recent years.
Defenders of religious rights have pointed to the hostile tone of the National Democratic Union government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in May 2014.
Christian support organisation Opendoor ranked India 11th in the 2025 World Watch List, where Christians face the toughest persecution. The country was ranked 31st in 2013, but its ranking as prime minister has steadily declined during Modi’s term.
