MUMBAI, India – Four Catholics have been arrested in Kalinjara, a village in Rajasthan’s Banswara district within the Diocese of Udaipur, on allegations that included “forced conversion,” according to local Church officials.

The arrests come amid continuing tensions in India over anti-conversion laws and accusations by Hindu nationalist groups that Christians use coercive or deceptive methods to convert people — allegations Church leaders have repeatedly denied.

India has been governed since 2014 by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is closely associated with Hindu nationalist organizations, including the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

Several Hindu nationalist groups have campaigned aggressively against alleged religious conversions, and in several Indian states, including Rajasthan, so-called illegal conversions can carry penalties including fines and prison sentences.

Christians make up about 2.3 percent of India’s population of more than 1.4 billion people, according to government data. In Rajasthan, where Hindus account for nearly 90 percent of the population, Christians represent roughly 0.14 percent.

Crux Now spoke with Bishop Devprasad Ganawa of Udaipur and Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, the retired archbishop of Guwahati, about the recent arrests and the broader climate facing Christians in India.

Crux Now: What is your reaction to this latest incident?

Ganawa: The incident is strongly condemnable, as it disrupts the life of the village and the wider community. A peaceful celebration was underway, attended solely by Catholic faithful. Today, being a Christian presents significant challenges, and it often feels as though we are under constant surveillance.

Nevertheless, our apostolate in education, healthcare, and welfare services continues unabated. Our personnel serve tirelessly, reaching out to people of all castes and creeds without discrimination. We remain committed to our mission of contributing to nation-building.”

Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil, the incident in Udaipur diocese comes amid a broader pattern of increasing hostility. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and its Religious Liberty Commission, there was an increase in reported persecution in 2025. The EFI documented 747 verified incidents of hostility against Christians in India in 2025, higher than 640 incidents in 2024. Does this rising intolerance against Christians reflect a worrying trend?

Menamparampil: We have reports from Udaipur diocese of a group of 12-13 Hindutva activists disturbing a gathering of 70 Catholics gathered for prayer in Kalinjara village, Banswara District. They were accused of conversion activities and cow slaughter. The scuffle that followed turned violent. The police refused to register a complaint. Our national leaders connive at these instances of violence.

Over 640 such incidents were reported in 2024. Every year there has been a steady increase.

The other day, Dattatreya Hosable, the General Secretary of the RSS, claimed that his organization was not an Indian version of the Ku Klux Klan. In the mouth of some of our leaders today, a denial is the assertion of a fact. It has become a standard mode and widely acceptable.

It is true, the RSS does not take to direct violence like the Ku Klux Klan, but it plants division among communities that leads to communal clashes and victimisation of the minorities. It motivates and trains Hindutva youth volunteers, places before them goals and strategies, and outsources violence to these risk-takers. Those of them who are ready to be beaten up or arrested are honored as heroes. They know they will be released soon. That explains the recklessness in our streets today.

The BJP has won the 2026  Legislative Assembly elections in West Bengal and Assam. What are your concerns with this victory?

Menamparampil:

The victory of the BJP in the recent elections in West Bengal and Assam sends a red signal round the nation. Cow-protection forces will increase. There will be fresh volunteers to enforce the meat ban near temples; new scholars to distort history in revised textbooks; ready accusers of forced conversion.

Healing services are already forbidden by law in Assam. We are waiting to see what the first decision of the new Assam Government will be, giddy with their victory.

What we suggest in response is not collision, but collaboration; not ongoing tussle, but joining hands together for shared social service; not empty boasts of past achievements, but enthusiastic appreciation of each other’s contribution. Let us begin again.