Christians in Hindu-majority Nepal are facing increased violence and social hostility as neighboring India, also a Hindu-majority nation, seeks to counter China’s influence by promoting Hindu nationalism. The campaign has swayed parts of Nepalese society, leading to escalated persecution of the Christian minority.
A Hindu nationalist from Nepal at a protest against the use of the term “secularism” in the country’s constitution. csi archive image
Christians, especially those in the plains of southern and eastern Nepal—regions that border India—are bearing the brunt of persecution. However, a sense of threat and lack of social acceptance is prevalent among Christians throughout the country.
In November 2024, a mob of about 200 Hindu nationalists stormed a church in the Rajbiraj area of southern Madhesh Province, violently dispersing a gathering of about 25 Christians.
In August and September 2023, at least seven churches in eastern and southern Nepal were targeted within a two-week period, escalating fears among the Christian community nationwide. Tensions initially flared in Dharan town, in the east, following the construction of a new church on private land and rumors that Christians were involved in cow slaughter and beef consumption. Since some Hindus consider the cow sacred, the allegations intensified animosity.
The increasing communal tensions in Nepal can be attributed to India’s strategic rivalry with China for influence in South Asia.
Nepal is geographically situated between the two powers and serves as a focal point for their competing interests. Although Nepalese political leaders have historically leveraged both nations to maintain a balance, India traditionally held an advantage over China in Nepal.
Nepal’s southern border with India is marked by plains, which offer relatively flat and accessible terrain, making trade, commerce and daily crossings for people and goods easier. However, Nepal’s northern border with China is defined by the rugged, mountainous terrain of the Himalayas, which presents significant logistical challenges for large-scale transportation and infrastructure development.
Since the abolition of Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy in 2008, the country’s politics have been dominated by Maoist and communist parties. However, Nepal’s political leadership had traditionally been closer to New Delhi than Beijing. Nepal’s Maoists view China’s communists as revisionists, and the country’s communists have not afforded more influence to China, largely due to Nepal’s dependence on and cultural ties with India.
However, this dynamic shifted suddenly in 2015, when India launched an unofficial blockade of Nepal’s border.
The blockade – which came months after a devastating earthquake in Nepal claimed around 10,000 lives – disrupted the import of essential goods, including petroleum, medicines and earthquake relief materials. It lasted for six months.
The point of contention was the Madhesh Province in southern Nepal – where the November 2024 church attack took place. Madhesh is home to people of Indian origin who maintain close ties across the border. New Delhi had pressed Nepal to amend its constitution to better address the grievances of the Madhesi people and to either reinstate Nepal’s status as a Hindu nation or remove the term “secular” from its constitution. Nepalese lawmakers resisted India’s demands, leading to the blockade.
The blockade resulted in increased anti-India sentiment nationwide, except in Madhesh Province.
Due to the hardships caused by the blockade, no major political party in Nepal wanted to be seen as pro-India. Two parties which had taken a pro-India line, the left-of-center Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal, stopped supporting India after the blockade.
As a result, China has stepped in to fill the void. Since 2015, China’s growing influence in Nepal has been evident through extensive development projects and a marked increase in Chinese tourism. This surge has led to a significant rise in hotels and restaurants that cater exclusively to Chinese tourists.
To counter this dynamic and reverse negative sentiments against it, India has embarked on a program of promoting Hindu nationalism in Nepal and fostering an environment where Hindu nationalist parties can become dominant in Nepal’s political landscape.
A centerpiece of this program is the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), a right-wing Hindu nationalist party in Nepal.
A May 2023 International Religious Freedom report by the U.S. State Department, particularly mentioning the RPP, stated that Nepal was witnessing a growing call to restore its status as a Hindu nation, and that the movement was allegedly backed by India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The RPP dismissed the U.S. report, labeling it as “baseless … reflecting a one-sided bias,” while the government of Nepal responded by sending a diplomatic note to the U.S. embassy in Kathmandu expressing disagreement with the findings.
It seems clear, however, that the RPP receives support from India, and that it has become a vector for anti-Christian sentiment in the country.
While over 80 percent of Nepal’s population adheres to Hinduism according to the 2021 census, the Hindu community is notably diverse. The Hill-Brahmin and Chhetri castes, which hold significant political and economic power and are largely represented in the main political parties, constitute less than 30 percent of the population. The remaining Hindu castes and ethnic groups—including the Madhesi, Dalits, and Janajatis, who together form a significant portion of the country’s population—seem to be the primary targets of India’s campaign.
Both India and China have influenced Nepal’s constitutional development,and neither has favored the protection of religious freedom. During the drafting of Nepal’s constitution, both countries reportedly lobbied Nepalese lawmakers to oppose provisions that would reflect Western democratic values, including the right to freedom of religion or belief.
As a result, the constitution of Nepal includes a clause that prohibits any act that leads to conversions from one religion to another. Further, the constitution, while declaring Nepal a secular state, also prioritizes Hindu cultural values by stating its commitment to protect Sanatan Dharma, as Hinduism is referred to. Further, Nepalese law, underpinned by the constitution, makes it an offense to disturb the religion or faith of another caste or community and criminalizes blasphemy and cow slaughter.
These dynamics cast uncertainty over the future of the Christian minority in Nepal. It is imperative for the international community to closely monitor developments and actively advocate for the protection of Christians’ rights and safety, in accordance with international conventions and laws.
