Twenty five-year-old Shanthi Gundiya, a practicing Christian from Jhabua District of Madhya Pradesh, was reportedly turned down by a prospective employer because of the intervention of radical Hindu nationalists.
In February 17, Shanthi applied for an administrative post within their local government. Due to her high academic marks, she was preferred for the job out of the 17 people who applied.
"My parents couldn't afford to pay for higher education for all seven siblings. I was given that privilege. They hoped that I would get work that would improve the conditions of the family," Shanthi told International Christian Concern (ICC).
When news of her selection reached the ears of Hindu nationalists including the village leader, they immediately blocked her appointment.
"I was anxiously awaiting my official appointment letter," Shanthi told ICC. "I was selected because they were giving the job based on academic merits. Things turned against me, however, when news of my selection was leaked to other people in the village."
On February 24, Shanthi went to see the hiring officer and inquired about her letter of appointment. The officer told her that their village head and RSS leaders opposed her appointment because she goes to church. He advised her to consult a higher authority at the district level to see if she can still have the job.
"I was shocked when I found out that the RSS leaders and village president had already been to the district office to block my appointment," Shanthi told ICC. "It was hard and very disappointing to give up on this job."
"My illiterate parents invested so much in my education, perhaps beyond their capacity, hoping I would get a decent job," Shanthi added.
Demotivated, the young Christian woman returned home with a heavy heart.
"I knew I could take legal action to get the job, but I was afraid that would destabilize the local church," she said."It would give the anti-Christian thugs a reason to cause more trouble for other Christians."
Torn between fighting for her right for fair economic opportunities and the ugly consequences it may cause to the Christian community, Shanthi's decision was supported by her parents.
"It was challenging for my parents," she said. "However, I was proud when they told me not to worry about the job. They said we were not going to compromise our faith for any reason. We will continue to serve Jesus even if a good job is taken away."
Shanthi's experience is just of the many individual stories of Christian persecution in India. This is on top of the numerous reports of physical violence, church bans, and different forms of discrimination.
According to Open Doors USA, India is in the top ten of the list of countries where persecution against Christians is the highest. This was further amplified under Bharatiya Janata Party's political regime.
"We hear frightening news about churches being closed down and physical violence. It is concerning. But we trust that our lives are in God's hands," Shanthi told ICC.
