By Matters India Reporter
Raipur, Dec 22, 2022: Hundreds of indigenous people who follow the Christian faith have been driven out of their homes in the Maoist-infested Bastar region of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.
“At least 300 families who lived in Narayanpur and Kondegaon districts were ousted from their homes in the past two months,” says Pastor Moses Logan, president of the Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society.
The persecuted include women and children who were beaten up in public when they refused to give up their new faith.
“The persecution against Christian faithful has increased manifold in the past couple of months,” Pastor Logan told Matters India December 20.
He also pointed out many among the persecuted people are not Christians.
The attackers have destroyed Christian houses and forcibly taken away household items and other live stock. They also destroyed the Christians farms and crops.
“We used to face persecution earlier also but now it has reached a new height with people forced to give up their faith and those opposing such pressure are driven out from their homes,” Logan bemoaned.
Quoting from reports he gathered from his people ín villages, the pastor said, “At least 300 families were driven out from their homes and most of them have taken shelter in different places including government facilities.”
Church leaders in the state say organized violence against Christians has increased alarmingly as the state police and district administration remain silent spectators.
The police refused to register cases against the attackers, instead tell the Christians to make peace with their tormentors.
Around 1,000 indigenous people on December 18 staged a protest in front of the Narayanpur district collectorate demanding that the police register First Information Report (FIR) against their attackers.
The administration initially tried to pacify them promising action but they refused to go back until they were shown proper FIR against their tormentors.
Yielding to such pressure, FIRs were registered and their copies were shown to the demonstrators before they left the place.
One of their leaders, who do not want to be named Matters India on December 20, “We have never experienced such a hostile situation in our villages. Our women and children are beaten up, threatened and nobody is there to support us.”
He said many Christians have given up their Christian under threat from the local villagers. “But there are a large number of others who are not ready to make any compromise on their faith and had to leave behind their homes, agriculture fields and everything for their faith,” he added.
On December 18 alone a record more than 150 Christian families, including those following the Christian faith, were attacked in 14 villages under Benur police station in Narayanpur district.
Pastor Logan says such organized attacks would not be possible without the knowledge of those in power including police and other government machineries meant to ensure law and order and provide security to the life and properties of the people.
The Chhattisgarh State Christian Welfare Society has collected details of the attacks which will be included in a memorandum to be presented to the state chief minister, home minister, director general of police, superintendents of police in both the districts and others seeking action against the attackers.
The United Christian Forum (UCF), an ecumenical body, has recorded 511 incidents of persecution against Christians in India in 2022 until November 21.
Chhattisgarh state ruled by the Congress party that claims to uphold secularism has recorded 115 cases of attacks against Christians.