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Seven thousand Christians thronged the streets of Mumbai, India, July 11 to protest a lawmaker’s recent announcement that Indians will be paid bounties for attacking and killing Christian pastors and missionaries.
UCA News reported that protestors at the rally demanded that authorities issue criminal charges against Gopichand Padalkar, a pro-Hindu politician who promised large sums of money to anyone who assaults, injures, or kills a Christian priest. Assaulting a priest is rewarded with the equivalent of $3,500 (USD), while breaking their limbs earns roughly $5,800. Killing a priest results in an award of the equivalent of $13,000.
The protestors, representing several Christian denominations, also called on authorities to expel Padalkar from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“This action will help curb future atrocities on the Christian community, like the vandalism of churches and attacks on religious leaders. The community needs protection from the government and action against the culprit,” the All Maharashtra Christian Coalition, the ecumenical group that organized the protest, stated, according to UCA News.
UCA News reported that Padalkar issued the bounties as part of an anti-conversion movement, announcing the rewards June 17 after he highlighted the suicide of a pregnant woman on his social media accounts. According to the outlet, “Padalkar linked the suicide to alleged Christian conversion efforts without providing any satisfactory evidence.”
The Archdiocese of Bombay issued a statement July 11 condemning anti-conversion laws, expressing concern that Christians are explicitly targeted despite the Indian Constitution’s guarantee of the right to choose a religion.
“While we respect the government’s duty to uphold public order, we firmly believe that any legislation restricting religious freedom must be carefully evaluated against India’s constitutional framework,” the archdiocese stated.
The archdiocese added that the Catholic Church does not condone forced conversion, stating that the Church’s mission is “rooted in compassion, not coercion.”
According to UCA News, the Bombay Catholic Association also spoke out against the targeting of Christians.
“Violence against Christians and minorities in India not only violates their fundamental rights but also tears apart the fabric of humanity and communal harmony,” Bento Lobo, vice president of the association, stated.
Meanwhile, Catholic lawyers have opposed or challenged Padalkar’s promised bounties. Godfrey Pimenta, a lawyer and trustee of the Mumbai-based Watchdog Foundation, submitted a complaint to the National Commission for Minorities July 9, UCA News reported. Sunita Banis, a lawyer in the Bombay High Court, said, “Padalkar should be arrested immediately for spreading hate, inciting violence and threatening the lives of Christian missionaries with his condemnable monetary rewards.”
