As India approaches one of the most sacred periods in the Christian calendar — Holy Week — two deeply troubling incidents in Kerala and Delhi lay bare a stark and unsettling pattern: the systematic suppression of Christian expressions of faith by state machinery. The demolition of a cross by the Forest Department near Thommankuthu in Kerala and the second consecutive denial of permission for the Stations of the Cross procession in Delhi are not isolated events — they are emblematic of a growing insensitivity, if not outright hostility, toward the Christian community in the country.

In Naranganam near Thodupuzha, Idukki, a cross erected by the parishioners of St. Thomas Church was destroyed under the orders of the Forest Department, with police assistance and mechanical force. What makes this act not only legally questionable but morally reprehensible is the total disregard for the sentiments of a religious minority, and the blatant bypassing of due process.

The land, handed over to the Church five months ago with a possession deed, is hardly the wild forest the Department claims it to be. This area has seen over six decades of habitation, government housing schemes, and most recently, infrastructural development like road access — yet authorities conveniently brand it “forest land” to justify a violent intrusion into a place of worship.

Worse still, this was done without any prior notice, a fundamental violation of principles of natural justice. What could have been resolved through dialogue and documentation was instead met with force — a JCB and an armed presence against unarmed worshippers, just days before Good Friday.

The optics are chilling: a government department tearing down a cross, a symbol of peace and redemption, while a faith community pleads for dialogue. What message does this send to India’s 30 million Christians?

In the national capital, Delhi Police once again denied permission for the Stations of the Cross procession — a Lenten tradition followed globally, including in the Vatican and Jerusalem — citing vague security threats. For two years in a row, the faithful of St. Mary’s Church and Sacred Heart Cathedral have had their spiritual observance confined and curtailed.
Despite their calm demeanor and lawful behavior, Christian institutions are being treated with suspicion and disrespect, their traditions viewed as disruptions, and their identity rendered invisible by administrative fiat.

These back-to-back incidents expose a dangerous precedent — the slow erosion of constitutional guarantees under the veil of legality. Article 25 of the Indian Constitution enshrines the freedom to profess, practice, and propagate religion. Yet, what we see on the ground is a different India — where Christian symbols are razed, their processions halted, and their pleas ignored.

Meanwhile, this same system bends over backward to accommodate others — as it should in a secular democracy. The problem is not accommodation; the problem is selective application of rights and respect.

Let this editorial be a clarion call — to every citizen, regardless of faith — to stand against institutional injustice. Because when one community’s right to worship is denied, it is not just their freedom that’s eroded — it is India’s soul that is scarred.