A senior politician in India has provoked outrage after reportedly publicly offering a cash reward for violent attacks on Christian missionaries and leaders.
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Bombay High Court, seeking action against Gopichand Padalkar, a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Maharashtra and a representative of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He is alleged to have made the inflammatory comments during a torch march in Sangli’s Kupwad area on 17 June.
He allegedly told supporters, “We should keep prizes for those who bash up missionaries coming to convert people. Rs 5 lakh should be declared for the first person thrashing such a missionary, the second one to be given Rs 4 lakh, while the third one to be given Rs 3 lakh as prizes.”
He allegedly offered a further reward of Rs 11 lakh (£9,800) for attacking Christian leaders.
In response, the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) issued a strongly worded statement condemning what it called an “explicit incitement to religiously motivated violence”. The bishops expressed “deep anguish and alarm over the growing climate of hostility and violence directed against minority communities in the country”.
They described Padalkar’s statements as “a clear instance of incitement … amounting to a grave offence under Section 152 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023”, and called for “immediate and decisive legal intervention”.
Despite protests by thousands of citizens across Maharashtra, police have reportedly failed to register even a First Information Report (FIR). The CBCI criticised the authorities’ inaction, saying, “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 said the selective enforcement of the law represented “a grave breach of the Constitution” and an “alarming erosion of institutional impartiality”.
Padalkar’s speech followed the suicide of 28-year-old pregnant woman Rutuja Rajage in Sangli district. Without offering evidence, he blamed her death on alleged pressure from her in-laws to convert to Christianity.
During his remarks, it is alleged that he made a number of inflammatory statements against Christians and Muslims. He reportedly compared Christian missionaries to “pythons”, saying, “We need to run ‘JCB’ on such pythons…” referring to the use of bulldozers to destroy them.
Padalkar is also reported to have stated, “Declare a list of all unauthorised prayer houses in Sangli district, as soon as possible, and on the third day, such prayer houses should be demolished.”
He apparently added, “If a person has a government job based on reservations under Hindu Dharma, and they are following a different religion, they should be dismissed,” and assured attendees, “Eliminate those coming for your conversions, and I will take care of the police.”
The Christian community and civil society groups mounted large-scale protests in response, Morning Star News reports. On 11 July, over 20 Christian organisations under the banner of the Sakal Christi Samaj held a six-hour demonstration in Mumbai’s Azad Maidan. Political leaders from across the spectrum participated, including Members of Parliament from the Indian National Congress (INC), Bhai Jagtap, Varsha Gaikwad and Vijay Wadettiwar, and opposition leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party.
Speaking at the protest, INC MP Varsha Gaikwad said, “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.”
Further demonstrations took place in Pune, Jalna and elsewhere in the state, with protesters demanding Padalkar’s immediate disqualification and criminal prosecution under India’s new penal code.
Raphael D’Souza, former president of the Bombay Catholic Sabha, told Catholic Connect, “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.’ Despite the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly being in session, no action has been taken against him.”
He went on to defend the Christian community’s record: “We are a peace-loving community that has played a vital role in education, healthcare, and social services. These accusations of forced conversions are completely baseless. There isn’t even an iota of proof – only unfounded allegations.”
In the face of mounting criticism, the BJP has attempted to distance itself from Padalkar’s remarks.
Agnelo Fernandes, general secretary of the Mumbai BJP and a Christian, described the comments as “highly irresponsible” and “dangerous”.
He said, “We strongly disassociate ourselves from Mr Padalkar’s statement. The remarks made by Padalkar were his personal views and do not reflect the official position of the party.”
He 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 stressed that “it is both unfair and dangerous to paint the entire community with the same brush”.
Church leaders also expressed alarm. The Rev Vijayesh Lal, general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India, said, “No elected representative should ever incentivise attacks on any citizen based on their faith. Such statements not only endanger lives but undermine the very principles our nation was founded upon.”
Archbishop Elias Gonsalves of Nagpur told 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, said the remarks were “a direct attack on the very fabric of our secular democracy”.
He added, “It is shocking and disheartening that our elected leaders have failed to take cognisance of such dangerous rhetoric, thereby undermining and isolating Christians in their own country.”
Earlier in July, Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced plans to introduce anti-conversion legislation and ordered investigations into so-called “unauthorised churches” in tribal areas. The Archdiocese of Bombay raised concerns that such legislation would deepen division and target vulnerable groups.
Christians represent less than 1 per cent of Maharashtra’s population, although significant communities live in Mumbai and other urban centres. Incidents of harassment and violence against Christians have reportedly increased in recent years.
Religious freedom advocates attribute the rising hostility to the Hindu nationalist tone of the National Democratic Alliance government, led by the BJP, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India currently ranks 11th on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution, having fallen from 31st in 2013.
