Elected village bodies dictate to Christians what they should believe and how should they live and work
An Indian policeman looks at damaged windows at a house in Bhopal on Jan. 28, 2006, after a group of Indian Christians were attacked during a prayer meeting. (Photo: STRDEL/AFP)
Christians in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have appealed again to their state chief minister to protect them as hundreds of indigenous Christians continue to live in the forest amid rising violence.
A delegation under the ecumenical Ecclesia United Forum (EUF) met chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and urged him to take “immediate steps to end violence,” said Father Johnson Thekkadayil, a Catholic priest working in the state.
“The brutal attacks unleashed on the Christians in Chhattisgarh, especially in the tribal regions, continues unabated,” Father Thekkadayil, who was part of the delegation told UCA News on Feb. 26, three days after they met Baghel.
Christians in the Bastar region, dominated by indigenous people, have been witnessing unprecedented violence, reports say. The forms of violence include social boycotts, assaults, parading men and women nude, and encroachments of Christians’ land.
Increased violence in the past six months has forced more than 1,000 Christians to flee their homes to save their lives.
The state government, run by the national opposition Congress party, claims to be secular but Church leaders say the government fails to protect the Christians.
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