India’s top Catholic body warns of rising communal violence and institutional collapse
Church leaders cite hate speech, mob attacks, and judicial silence as signs of democratic backsliding
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — India’s top Catholic leadership has issued a stark warning about the growing climate of fear and impunity surrounding religious minorities, calling it a symptom of a deeper erosion of constitutional values and institutional integrity.
In a strongly worded public statement, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) condemned the rising hostility against minority communities and criticized what it described as the “disturbing apathy” of law enforcement and the judiciary.
The CBCI said the country is “gripped by fear and pain,” as communal attacks become more frequent and state institutions increasingly compromised.
The bishops highlighted a recent example of hate speech delivered by BJP legislator Gopichand Padalkar in Maharashtra’s Sangli district, where he allegedly offered cash rewards for physically assaulting Christian priests. “Whoever beats the first priest will get 500,000, the second 400,000, and the third 300,000,” he reportedly said during a June 17 public event.
Calling the statement “neither vague nor ambiguous,” the CBCI said it constituted clear incitement to religious violence and demanded immediate legal action under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), or the Indian Code of Justice, which criminalizes hate speech and threats to national integrity.
However, they alleged that no first information report (FIR) had been registered despite widespread outrage.
The CBCI drew a sharp contrast between this inaction and the “swift and harsh response” often directed at students, activists, and opposition figures for minor expressions of dissent, such as tweets or peaceful protests.
The bishops also condemned the arrest of two Catholic religious sisters at Durg Railway Station in Chhattisgarh on July 25. The women were reportedly accompanying two adult girls with written consent from their parents.
According to the CBCI, not only were the sisters physically assaulted during the arrest, but police also barred the girls’ parents from meeting them at the station.
They raised concerns over the delayed and questionable application of Section 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, which appeared later in official records despite being absent from the original FIR.
Beyond individual incidents, the CBCI issued a broader critique of India’s judiciary, pointing to what it described as a “judicial abdication of duty.” They cited troubling patterns, including a former Chief Justice ruling on allegations against himself, and judges relying on divine intervention for legal clarity rather than constitutional principles.
“The latest trend of higher court judges preaching majoritarian rule, and revelations of massive cash scandals, portend serious danger for our democracy,” the CBCI stated.
Warning of a systematic “deconstruction of the constitutional state and the communalization of independent institutions,” the CBCI declared the situation “too serious to ignore.”
The bishops ended with a direct appeal to India’s political and civic leadership: “We issue a clarion call to the nation. The government of India, all political parties, and people of goodwill must take appropriate constitutional steps to save the nation and its people.”
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