India’s Catholic bishops this week strongly condemned law enforcement for failing to prosecute a state legislator who publicly offered up to $12,663 USD (1.1 million rupees) for violent attacks on Christian leaders.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) expressed “deep anguish and alarm over the growing climate of hostility and violence directed against minority communities in the country” following Maharashtra state Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Gopichand Padalkar’s inflammatory offer and failure of police to respond. Padalkar is a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a press statement issued on Monday (July 28), the bishops referenced Padalkar’s June 17 speech in Sangli District, Maharashtra state, in which he said, “We should keep prizes for those who bash up missionaries coming to convert people. Rs 5 lakh (500,000 rupees or $5,756 USD), should be declared for the first person thrashing such a missionary, the second one to be given Rs 4 lakh (400,000 rupees or $4,605 USD), while the third one to be given Rs 3 lakh (300,000 rupees or $3,454 USD) as prizes.”
Padalkar also offered 11 lakhs (1.1 million rupees or $12,663 USD) for violence against Christian leaders, the bishops noted.
The CBCI argued that such statements “warrant immediate and decisive legal intervention, particularly when the incitement is explicit, direct, and poses an imminent threat to public order.”
The bishops said the speech constitutes “a clear instance of incitement to religiously motivated violence, amounting to a grave offense under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 which penalizes acts that promote enmity between different groups and threaten the unity and integrity of the nation.”
The CBCI sharply criticized law enforcement’s failure to act, stating, “Despite this, and despite peaceful demonstrations by thousands of concerned citizens, law enforcement authorities have reportedly failed to register even a First Information Report (FIR). This inaction stands in stark contrast to the swift legal response often seen against students, activists and opposition leaders for far less serious expressions, such as social media posts or peaceful dissent.”
The bishops described such selective enforcement as “a grave breach of the Constitution” that “reflects an alarming erosion of institutional impartiality.”
Padalkar made the controversial statements during a torch march in Sangli’s Kupwad area on June 17, targeting Christian priests and pastors whom he accused of forced religious conversions. The remarks came after a 28-year-old pregnant woman, Rutuja Rajage, died by suicide in Sangli District, with the legislator blaming her death on alleged pressure from in-laws to convert to Christianity, though he provided no evidence for such claims.
Escalating Anti-Christian Rhetoric
During the torch march, Padalkar delivered a series of inflammatory statements targeting Christians and Muslims.
Beside the tiered reward system for attacks on Christian missionaries, the legislator called those involved in “Love Jihad” (in reference to Muslims) as “green snakes” and those “forcing Christianity on others” as “pythons,” stating: “We need to run ‘JCB’ on such pythons,” referring to using heavy construction machinery to crush them.
Padalkar also threatened what he called unauthorized prayer houses, demanding that local officials “declare a list of all unauthorized prayer houses in Sangli District, as soon as possible and on the third day, such prayer houses should be demolished.”
“If a person has a government job based on reservations under Hindu Dharma, and they are following a different religion, they should be dismissed,” he added.
The MLA assured attendees he would “try to bring a law against conversion of religion in the monsoon session of the state legislative assembly” and assured them: “Eliminate those coming for your conversions, and I will take care of the police.”
Massive Statewide Protests
Padalkar’s announcement triggered widespread demonstrations across Maharashtra. On July 11, thousands of Christians from various denominations gathered in the capital city Mumbai’s Azad Maidan for a six-hour protest organized by the Sakal Christi Samaj and supported by more than 20 Christian organizations.
The demonstration attracted prominent political leaders including Members of Parliament from the Indian National Congress (INC) Bhai Jagtap, Varsha Gaikwad and Vijay Wadettiwar, and leaders from other prominent opposition parties such as the Nationalist Congress Party’s Jayant Patil and the Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi.
The Rev. Frazer Mascarenhas, former principal of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and Janet D’Souza, former vice-chairperson of the Maharashtra Minority Commission, also participated.
INC MP Varsha Gaikwad condemned what she called the government’s “policy of ‘Mislead, Divide and Rule’ and stated: “Fundamentally, the ideology of RSS-BJP is to spread hatred in society and divide the nation. In Maharashtra today, injustice is constantly being done to the poor, Dalits, Adivasis and minorities.”
Similar protests erupted in Pune on July 8, where members of the Pune Christian Forum staged demonstrations outside the District Collector’s Office. Christians in Jalna district held a morcha (front) on June 30, with protesters carrying placards and demanding criminal charges against the legislator.
Protesters demanded Padalkar’s immediate disqualification from his legislative post and called for criminal charges under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (India’s new criminal code), including incitement to violence, rioting and encouragement to commit murder.
The demonstration was part of a broader statewide protest movement, with similar dharnas [sit-in protests] and morchas held across multiple cities and districts in Maharashtra.
Norbert Mendonsa, vice president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, confirmed that the issue has been formally raised in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, which was in session during the protests. The Christian community expressed hope that the matter would receive appropriate attention from lawmakers.
Church Leaders Condemn Threats
The Rev. Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said that offering cash rewards for violence crosses all acceptable boundaries.
“No elected representative should ever incentivize attacks on any citizen based on their faith,” Lal told Morning Star News. “Such statements not only endanger lives but undermine the very principles our nation was founded upon. We appeal for decisive action to ensure this rhetoric does not translate into actual violence.”
Raphael D’Souza, former president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, criticized the state government’s silence on the issue.
“The biggest concern is the lack of response – even when one of their own sitting MLAs, Gopichand Padalkar, reportedly said, ‘Attack these Christians; I will give you three lakh rupees,’” D’Souza told Catholic Connect. “Despite the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly being in session, no action has been taken against him.”
He defended the Christian community’s contributions to Indian society.
“We are a peace-loving community that has played a vital role in education, healthcare, and social services,” he said. “These accusations of forced conversions are completely baseless. There isn’t even an iota of proof – only unfounded allegations.”
Archbishop Elias Gonsalves of Nagpur called the MLA’s announcement “regrettable,” telling Crux, “We are against forced conversions. India is a democratic institution with secular credentials and constitutional guarantees.”
Melwyn Fernandes, Secretary of the Association of Concerned Christians, described the statement as “a direct attack on the very fabric of our secular democracy. It is shocking and disheartening that our elected leaders have failed to take cognizance of such dangerous rhetoric, thereby undermining and isolating Christians in their own country.”
BJP Distances Itself
Facing mounting criticism, the BJP attempted to distance itself from Padalkar’s statements.
Agnelo Fernandes, general secretary of the Mumbai BJP and a Christian, called the remarks “highly irresponsible” and “dangerous.”
“We strongly disassociate ourselves from Mr. Padalkar’s statement,” Fernandes said in a public statement. “The remarks made by Padalkar were his personal views and do not reflect the official position of the party.”
Fernandes, who represents the party’s Minority Morcha (front), added, “As a Christian myself and representative of the Minority Morcha, I can say with conviction that the Christian community in India does not support forced religious conversions.”
He acknowledged that “there may be a few individuals or fringe groups acting for personal gain” but emphasized it was “both unfair and dangerous to paint the entire community with the same brush.”
Fernandes asked Padalkar to engage with the Christian community to better understand their values and contributions.
Growing Pattern of Persecution
Earlier on July 9, Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had announced that the state government would introduce legislation to prevent religious conversions and ordered investigations into what he called “unauthorized churches” in tribal areas.
The Archdiocese of Bombay expressed “deep concern” over Bawankule’s proposal for strict anti-conversion legislation, arguing that such laws risk fostering division and targeting vulnerable communities.
Christians constitute less than 1 percent of Maharashtra’s population, though significant communities exist in Mumbai and other urban centers. The state has witnessed increasing incidents of harassment and violence against Christian communities in recent years.
Religious rights advocates point to the hostile tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the Hindu nationalist BJP, which they say has emboldened Hindu extremists across India since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took power in May 2014.
Christian support organization Open Doors ranked India 11th on its 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution. The country stood at 31st place in 2013 but has steadily fallen in the rankings during Modi’s tenure as prime minister.
