Vijay Masih was embarrassed to welcome his guests in such uncomfortable conditions. He had borrowed his sister's cottage; his own being under construction. His wife, Preeti, prepared a chai (milk tea) to provide warmth in the icy atmosphere of late December. In the spring, the evangelical pastor and his family had moved to an informal village just outside Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India. There's no electricity, no sanitation, no asphalt. He sleeps on a makeshift mattress outside on the dirt. But at least he feels safe in this all-Christian community of over 300 people.

For 12 years, Masih served the Evangelical Church of India 100 kilometers away in Fatehpur, a large rural town. He had a salary and a house, and his two children attended a private school. But an event suddenly interrupted the thread of this tranquil life: On April 14, 2022, the eve of Good Friday, as he and 70 other Christians were preparing for Easter celebrations in the village church, hostile chants were heard.

Around 150 nationalist militants from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council – VHP) and members of the Bajrang Dal, a radical Hindu youth organization, surrounded the building, shouting "Jai Shri Ram" ("glory to the god Ram"), their cry of allegiance. In an instant, the assailants had padlocked all the exits. The police then arrived after being told by militia members claiming that a mass conversion was underway.

Taken to the police station, the participants were told, without anything having been checked beforehand, that they would be subject to a "preliminary investigation" under the "anti-conversion law" adopted by Uttar Pradesh in 2021. Released after two days, half of them were thrown back into prison six months later. In the meantime, a VHP leader lodged complaints against Christians, accusing them of carrying out mass conversions after dangling a host of benefits in front of Hindus: admission to schools, medical care, financial aid for buying buffalos, etc.

Masih spent seven and a half months in an unsanitary cell with common-law criminals. To secure bail, he had to pay the equivalent of €8,000, a considerable sum raised with the help of the Church and his community. He is now a day laborer on construction sites.

Less than a kilometer from the church in Fatehpur, the ghostly, century-old Broadwell Christian Hospital was caught up in the same upheaval. Founded by Canadian missionaries, the hospital, which had operating theatres, a radiology department and neonatal services, had an excellent reputation. For weeks, nationalists surrounded the hospital, harassing both patients and healthcare professionals. Half of the 145 members of the team, regulars at the church, resigned and left town. Doctors and medical staff were accused by the Bajrang Dal of bribing patients with promises of free treatment if they became Christians.

You have 75% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.