Christians attacked by baton-wielding mob just hours after 70 beheaded in Congo

A violent mob of 200 people attacked a group of 50 Christians during a church service in Rajasthan, India, last week.

The attackers wielded iron bars as weapons during the assault on February 17, leaving most of the churchgoers bruised and some with severe injuries.

The incident occurred as the Christian group gathered for their regular service in the northern Indian state.

The attack appeared to be coordinated, with a new attendee observed sending text messages shortly before the mob descended on the church.

The assailants accused the congregation of forceful conversion, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, an anti-persecution charity.

Following the attack, the mob forced the church’s pastor and his wife to accompany them to the local police station.

No charges were filed against any members of the mob.

The pastor, who requested anonymity, chose not to file a formal complaint against the attackers.

The decision was made due to fears of potential repercussions, the charity reported.

The victims, despite suffering injuries during the assault, also refrained from pursuing legal action against their attackers.

The attack comes as Rajasthan’s legislature considers new legislation targeting religious conversion this month.

The Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill 2025 follows similar measures in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

The Uttar Pradesh law has already increased sentences for offences frequently used to prosecute Christians.

These legislative developments mirror a pattern of increasing restrictions on religious conversion across Indian states.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas expressed concern over the escalating violence against religious minorities in India.

“Christians have been increasingly subjected to assaults, humiliation and the loss of their livelihoods and belongings by far-right religious nationalists who make clearly baseless accusations of forceful conversion,” he said.

“Meanwhile those who carry out these attacks enjoy complete impunity,” Thomas added, urging local authorities to “take firm and swift action against the perpetrators of such crimes.”

Rajasthan is a predominantly Hindu state, with almost nine-in-10 following India’s largest religion.

Around ond-in-10 locals were also recorded as being Muslims, with the Christian population dropping to just 0.14 per cent.

However, sectarian violence has been impacting India for a number of years.

A spate of anti-Christian attacks were carried out in 2007 and 2008, leaving more than 100 dead.

Anti-Sikh riots resulted in more than 3,350 deaths across India in 1984.

There have also been a number of Islamist-inspired attacks against Hindus since the turn of the century, including the 2024 Reasi attack.

The incident in India occured around 24 hours after 70 Christians were beheaded in a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Terrorists from the Isis-linked Allied Democratic Forces approached homes in Mayba in the territory of Lubero at around 4am.

Data compiled for the House of Commons found that around 365 million Christians are subject to “high levels of persecution and discrimination”, up from 340 million in 2021.

North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, and Yemen had the highest rates of reported persecution against Christians.