Christians Expelled from 8 Villages in Chhattisgarh State

December 2, 2024 EMMANUEL ADEBAYO AJIBOLA

Eight village councils in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have enacted a law that evacuates Christians staying in their villages; either they deny their belief or leave the premises. The rule affected over 100 Christians whose property and fields would be seized or hijacked if they did not obey.

The UK-based organisation Christian Solidarity Worldwide stated The villages in the Sukma district have joined hands to pass this resolution demanding that Christians deny their faith or risk losing all their belongings and property.

Michwar, a local leader from one of the affected villages, reportedly defended the decree, claiming that the authority of the village councils overrides India’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion under Article 25.

The ban was purposefully enacted to reduce the influence of Christianity in those areas, and this has led to 40 people losing their homes.

Initially, a group of Christians on the 18th of November had presented or laid a complaint at the Gaderas police station with evidence of a statement the chief of Michwar village had made, but the police refused to open a file of complaint, which is important to initiate a legal investigation.

Rather, the police instructed the group to lead them to the fields. On arrival, they were met by a mob of approximately 1,500 people who were stealing the Christians’ crops and requesting they reject their faith. The police quietly left without taking any action, leaving the community open to attack and endangered.

Members of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum met with the district collector and superintendent of police on November 19, pleading for action. The authorities advised them to file a formal complaint.

However, the complaint wasn’t officially registered until November 21, leaving the villagers without help in the critical days following the looting.

Over 40 villagers, whose properties were destroyed, are now staying in a church building in Michwar. The delayed police response has deepened the sense of insecurity among Christians in the area, who remain fearful of further attacks and persecution.

Asia News quoted Fr. Thomas Vadakumkara of the Jagdalpur diocese saying that “fundamental rights are systematically denied” to Christians across many districts of Chhattisgarh. He emphasised that Christians are denied the right to cultivate their fields, bury their dead, and live on their land.

The violation and enforcement of Christians from the village of Sukma has increased tension in communities across India.

The United Christian Forum, a Delhi-based organisation, recorded 673 incidents of violence against Christians across India through October this year. Chhattisgarh itself accounts for 139 of these incidents, ranking second only to Uttar Pradesh in terms of reported hate crimes.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported that in a separate incident on Oct. 30 in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, a group of 14 Christians were attacked by a mob as police officers watched.

Christians who disobeyed orders to abandon their faith and proceeded to harvest crops from a communal field were beaten with wooden rods. Several people, including two women, sustained serious injuries, including broken bones and head trauma. The homes of the victims were also destroyed, and the police officer attempting to intervene was injured during the attack.

A Christian rights activist, Nagesh Micha, questioned the police’s nonintervention and was quoted saying, “The police, which are supposed to uphold the fundamental rights of an individual, have allowed 14 people to be beaten in their presence. This means there are higher authorities who are supporting the mobs.

Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Dantewada districts are part of the state’s tribal or indigenous belt, where local councils, or panchayats, often wield considerable influence.