India’s National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has demanded an investigation into escalating violence against Christians in Odisha state.
Newsroom (01 July 2025, Gaudium Press) – India’s National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has demanded an investigation into escalating violence against Christians in Odisha state, following a brutal attack on June 21 in Kotamateru village, Malkangiri district, where a Hindu mob injured 30 Christians, 20 of them severely.
The NCM, tasked with safeguarding religious minorities, issued a letter on June 27 to Odisha’s chief secretary, directing a probe into the incident and requiring a report within 21 days. The action was prompted by a complaint from A.C. Michael, a New Delhi-based Christian leader and rights activist, who described the assault as a “coordinated and targeted” attack on a small Christian community.
According to Michael’s complaint, approximately 400 people attacked 11 Christian households in Kotamateru, a remote village with 70 families, while they prayed for a bountiful harvest. “The mob attacked without provocation,” Michael stated, noting that tensions had been brewing for days, with Christians facing repeated threats. Due to the village’s isolation, news of the attack was delayed until a resident alerted a pastor, who informed the Malkangiri Police Station. Police responded promptly, and the injured were rushed to the district hospital. Others sought refuge in a nearby church, now serving as a temporary shelter.
Michael, speaking to UCA News on July 1, welcomed the NCM’s swift response but expressed alarm over the frequency of attacks. “Christians are targeted in Odisha almost every other day. The state has failed to protect them,” said Michael, a former member of Delhi’s minority commission. He urged authorities to provide compensation and rehabilitation for the victims.
The violence in Kotamateru is part of a broader surge in anti-Christian attacks since the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) assumed power in Odisha in June 2024. Church leaders report that Hindu groups, emboldened by the BJP’s victory, are pressuring Christians to renounce their faith to advance a Hindu nationalist agenda. In a separate incident, 23 Christian families in Rangamatia village, Keonjhar district, sought police protection against social ostracism aimed at forcing them to abandon Christianity.
Data from the United Christian Forum (UCF), a New Delhi-based ecumenical group, recorded 40 attacks on Christians in Odisha in 2024, with over 60 incidents in the past six months alone. On June 9, Christians petitioned Indian President Draupadi Murmu, urging her intervention to curb the violence.
Christians constitute 2.77% of Odisha’s 42 million population, with Hindus and indigenous groups comprising about 90%. The rising attacks have heightened concerns about religious freedom in the state, prompting calls for urgent action to protect vulnerable minority communities.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCA News
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