The unchecked persecution of Christians in India and the silence of the government in such cases will threaten the Christian identity, the civil society group United Christian Forum said on Friday.

In a statement, the group said that attacks against the community had become more frequent, brutal and systematic.

It referred to a report it released on January 10, which said that the number of attacks against Christians had increased from 127 in 2014 to 834 in 2024.

The group said that if the trend was not stopped immediately by “political will and concerted government action, it will threaten the identity and existence of the Indian Christian community in their motherland much before 2050”.

Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh recorded the highest number of attacks on Christians and had become “the hotspots of viral hate, brutal mob violence, rampant social ostracisation in which elements of the law and justice apparatus is complicit”, the group said citing its 2024 report.

While Uttar Pradesh recorded 209 attacks against Christians in 2024, Chhattisgarh reported 165.

The United Christian Forum on Wednesday said that the number of cases reported in the two states merely scratched the surface. “Across the country, the crimes that come to our notice may be from thrice to ten times at the grassroots,” the group said.

Several attacks go unreported due to the fear of “retribution in the environment of impunity and political patronage”, the group said. “Fear dominates the discourse – fear of the cultural ‘police’ which define who is an Indian, who is a loyal citizen, and who is an alien, to be identified, isolated, and eliminated,” it added.

The statement claimed that more than 100 innocent persons from the community, such as pastors, are in jail and have been repeatedly denied bail. “The justice process has become the punishment,” it added.

Michael Williams, the president of the United Christian Forum, said that the Christian community, which had long been a peaceful and integral part of India’s diverse society, was now living in fear.

“This tragedy is unfolding even as Hon’ble the Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, and his team periodically reach out to the Christian community through its religious leaders in Kerala, New Delhi and elsewhere,” the statement said.

The violence against the community “seemed to peak during the Christmas season of 2024, with 14 separate attacks on Christian gatherings across the country”, it noted.

The United Christian Forum demanded the transparent enforcement of laws protecting religious freedom and minority rights. “Only such transparency and official integrity will ensure an unbiased investigation, court trial, and fixing culpability of those found responsible,” it said.