About India:

• India was invaded in the ancient times by many groups. Various mythologies existed even before these invasions. The invasion of the Aryans brought in Hinduism and the caste system along with it. When the Persians invaded, they formed the Mughal Empire that established Islam as one of the religions of India. The British Raj that ruled India for almost three centuries introduced Christianity and western ideals on a large scale even though Saint Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, was the first to come to India to spread the gospel. India fought for freedom from British rule and won its independence in 1947. The two major parties that were at the center of the struggle for Independence were the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League. The latter felt that Muslims should have a separate land. As a result, the partition of 1947 took place, creating the new country of Pakistan. India has since then been known as a secular country, and it is the largest democracy in the world.

Religious Atmosphere:

• India's constitution provides for full religious freedom of worship and witness for all religions. The rise of Hindutva extremism resulted in a hate campaign against Muslims in the early '90s and against Christians in the late '90s as being followers of foreign religions.
• Anti-conversion legislation and imposing legal restrictions on Christian activies has been strongly demanded.  Some states have enacted such legislation, which in turn, condones a rising wave of violence and even murder of Christian workers. 
• The number of attacks against Christians has rapidly increased. From 1964-1996 there were 38 recorded incidents.  In the three years after, there were a total of 300 attacks.
• The Anti-conversion legislation has been passed in six states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Orissa, Chattigarh and Madhya Pradesh. Tamil Nadu, which had earlier passed a similar law, recently repealed it.
• Since 1998, there have been hundreds of attacks on Christian leaders, worshippers and churches throughout India. These attacks have included killings, torture, rape and harassment of church staff, destruction of church property and disruption of church events.
• The caste system reflects Indian occupational and socially defined hierarchies. Tribal groups and low castes known as "untouchables" are constantly discriminated against. Dalits, the lowest of the outcastes, are attacked by Hindu militants because of the spread of Christianity among this group, especially in rural areas. More than half a million Christians come from a Dalit background.
• Tribal groups who have converted to Christianity have been targeted for attacks by Hindu organizations. In June 2005, an independent people's tribunal investigating the rise of violent sectarianism in Orissa was threatened by members of right wing Hindu extremist groups.