Over 300 Christian leaders in the U.S. have petitioned the State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern” (CPC) following an unprecedented escalation of state-sanctioned violence against Christians there.

The August 1 letter is addressed to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and signed by three archbishops, 18 bishops, 166 clergy from diverse denominations, eight current or former presidents, deans from five theological schools, and leaders from over 40 Christian organizations.

“This is the first public letter of its kind penned by U.S. Christian leaders addressing persecution in India,” Rev. Neal Christie, executive director of the Federation of Indian-American Christian Organizations in North America (FIACONA), told The Stream.

The CPC designation is imposed on countries seen as the “worst violators of religious freedom globally” on the basis of the International Religious Freedom Act (1998).