NEW DELHI, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday broke his silence on religious attacks in this country, strongly condemning such violence and pledging complete freedom of faith for all communities.

"We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence," Modi said in the wake of a series of attacks on churches in the national capital.

"My government will not allow any religious group, whether belonging to the majority or the minority, to incite hatred against others, overtly or covertly," he said.

"My government will act strongly in this regard. I appeal to all religious groups to act with restraint, mutual respect and tolerance," he added.

The prime minister was speaking at a conference organized by Christian groups in the national capital to celebrate the beatification of two Indians by Pope Francis late last year.

In the recent months, there have been a number of attacks on churches in the Indian capital and Modi's political opponents allege that his government have failed to rein Hindu fundamentalist groups who have been allegedly targeting minorities.