Forced Conversion: Angry Mob Vandalises Church, in Chhattisgarh

Amidst ongoing anti-Christian violence, a superintendent of police sustained head injuries and other security personnel were injured on Monday while they were trying to quell a violent mob which vandalised a Church in Narayanpur district in the tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

On January 2, a mob of about 50 people barged into the Sacred Heart Church at Banglapara in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district and vandalised it before attacking police officers who reached the spot. At least seven policemen, including Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar, were injured in the incident.

So far, 11 persons, including a BJP leader, have been arrested with the police filing four separate FIRs under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, assault on government servants, rioting, and promoting enmity between different groups, among others.

According to villagers, the first notable incident of tension in Narayanpur between the two groups took place in November last year at Bhatpal, a village 14 km from the district headquarters, allegedly over Christians using the village cemetery.

A police source said the differences between the two groups were mostly over “cultural issues, with the majority tribal community irked that the Christian tribals were giving up on tribal culture”.

On January 1, many Christian tribals came together from different villages and attacked tribals from the majority community in Gorra village. The police were called but they too were manhandled,” said a prominent member of the Christian community who spoke on condition of anonymity.

In their memorandum to the Narayanpur collector, the protesters said they were being discriminated against on the basis of their religion, attacked and were being chased out of their homes. A series of violent incidents has taken place since December 16 and similar incidents took place in a couple of villages in October as well, they alleged.