THE Pope, who has visited India once before, will be in the capital New Delhi from November 5th to 8th. Members of extremist Hindu factions plan to demonstrate against the visit.

Proponents of the idea of Hindutva (Hinduness), they feel their faith and ideology are threatened by Christianity. They want Pope John Paul II to condemn the practice of converting non-Christians and to apologise for atrocities they claim were committed against Hindus in the former Portuguese colony of Goa 400 years ago.

The visit comes in the wake of the election of a Hindu nationalist-led alliance which returned the prime minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to power.

Though himself a moderate, Mr Vajpayee's party and some associates have been linked to excesses of Hindu fundamentalism, in particular attacks on minorities and their places of worship.

There are fears that the victory of the prime minister's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could once again enflame extremist Hindu passions, provoking renewed animosity against Muslims and Christians. There are also fears that the papal visit itself could provide a focus for anti-Christian feelings.

Heavy security arrangements are being made for the state visit. Among other engagements, Pope John Paul is due to celebrate a Mass for the conclusion of a special assembly for Asia of the synod of bishops in Delhi on November 7th (a date which coincides with the Hindu festival of Diwali).

The papal visit comes at a time of increasing violence against Christians and their places of worship. In September, a Catholic priest was killed by a gang armed with bows and arrows in the eastern state of Orissa. An Australian missionary and his two sons were burned to death in the same state at the beginning of the year. (The itinerant Hindu teacher wanted in connection with the murders is still at large.)

In July, a Protestant pastor was stabbed to death in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Other recent attacks include an assault on two nuns in the north-eastern state of Bihar. Elsewhere, nuns have been raped; churches, schools and cemeteries have been vandalised.

"Tensions between Hindus and Christians are a new phenomenon," says Father Dominic Emmanuel, spokesman for the archdiocese of Delhi. "There have always been tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and there were clashes between Hindus and Sikhs during the 1980s, but until recently there has never been a hate campaign against Christians."

Father Emmanuel is among those who blame the government of Mr Vajpayee for failing to stop right-wing groups from stirring up anti-Christian fervour. He points his finger at a number of groups, including the original of Hindutva, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (National Self-Reliance Organisation). It was an RSS member who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948.

Other hardline Hindu organisations are the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Society) and the Bajrang Dal, which translates as the party of Hanuman - the Hindu monkey god. Collectively known as Sangh Parivar (Family Group), these and other militant Hindu organisations have links with the ruling BJP.

The RSS and the VHP have been most vocal in opposing the papal visit to India, threatening a protest march from Goa to Delhi and demanding a papal apology for inquisitions carried out by early Christian missionaries.

Criticism of the government for failing to rein-in the Hindu hardliners has been supported by human-rights activists, in particular the United States-based Hu man Rights Watch. In a recent report, the organisation says at tacks against India's 23 million Christians have increased significantly since the BJP came to power. Not only is the government failing to prevent the violence, says the report, but it is exploiting sectarian tensions for political ends.

"Certain politicians and community leaders are making statements to stir up feelings against minorities," says the Rev Richard Howell of the Evangelical Fellowship of India. "We hope the government will take action but in the past they haven't. If they suppressed their anti-Christian propaganda, it's only because they've put their Hindu nationalist agenda on hold. I'm not hopeful."

The main charge against Christians, and in particular against Christian missionaries, is that they are trying to forcefully convert Hindus. This is vigorously denied by church leaders.

THERE is, however, concern about the ways some evangelical churches and organisations are targeting under-developed areas of the world, including India. A number of these have websites which talk in militant and crusading tones of bringing the Gospel to "unenlightened" peoples.

"The vocabulary used by certain Christian groups could be misunderstood," concedes Mr Howell, an Indian whose Welsh greatgrandfather came to India while serving in the Royal Artillery. "Words are used which some people might find aggressive but they're not intended to be."

Most of the attacks against Christians and their property have taken place in Bihar and Orissa, India's two poorest states. Both places have large populations of "tribals", who have been extensively Christianised by foreign missionaries.

Extremist politicians and landowners in these regions feel their power is being undermined by missionaries who try to educate and develop poor communities. Tensions between converted Christians and non-Christian tribal people are easily stirred up.

Overall, India remains a tolerant society where Hindus, Christians, Muslims and other faiths co-exist peacefully. The Indian government and church leaders will be hoping the papal visit is not overshadowed by the hatreds of extremism.