South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief Condemns the Violence on Christians in Chhattisgarh!

The South Asia Forum for Freedom of Religion or Belief (SAFFORB) strongly condemns violence against the Christian residents of numerous villages of Narayanpur and Kondagaondistricts in the state of Chhattisgarh. There is an organized campaign to forcibly convert ChristianAdivasis to the Hindu religion. This campaign escalated on 9th December 2022. By 18th December 2022, there were a series of attacks in about 18 villages in Narayanpur district and 15 villages inKondagaon district displacing about a thousand Christian Adivasis from their villages. Those displaced were told to give up their Christian faith and convert to the Hindu religion, failing which they were ordered to leave the village or face dire consequences, including death. Many ChristianAdivasis were gravely assaulted and beaten with lathis, tires, and rods. At least two dozen people had to be hospitalized with injuries like fractures of the collarbone and other such injuries. A few ChristianAdivasis, according to a fact-finding report of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, UnitedChristian Forum, and other organizations, one Mr. Manglu Koram, and members of 21 Christian families from Madamnar village were forcibly taken to the village tihad (temple) where the priest forcefully sprinkled some water on them and conducted some rituals and declared them to be Hindus. They also forcibly took away copies of the bible from their homes. Likewise, 18 families from Udidgaon village and 3 families from Fulhadgaon, 3 families from Putanchandagaon village were also forcibly converted. Even persons with disabilities and pregnant women were not spared from the brutal violence. On 2nd January 2023, a Catholic Church in Narayanpur was attacked by a violent mob desecrating the idols of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary. The District Superintendent of Police was hit on his head and other police personnel were injured. The District Administration ignored the early warning consisting of threats and intimidation targeting Christian Adivasis. These intimidations, which tantamounted to a breach of peace in the locality, were reported but no action was taken. Even after an escalated and violent campaign against the Christian Adivasis from 9th December onwards, no notice or action was taken. No FIR was filed even though the survivors of this attack filed their complaints with the Benur Police Station in the Narayanpur district. In Temrugaon, three Christian Adivasis were beaten in the presence of 10 to 15 policemen. The policemen neither stopped the attack nor filed an FIR of the incident. As a result, the violence against Christians Adivasis kept on escalating. The administration is functioning on the proposition that both sides are guilty in the conflict, and in fact, the DM described the conflict as a minor scuffle. The wrong that the district administration is alluding to is that according to them the Christian Adivasis have disowned the traditional religious beliefs. Every Indian citizen, including the Adivasis, is within their legal rights to profess and practice any beliefs. The proposition that this is merely a minor scuffle in which both parties are wrong is becoming an excuse for inaction in stopping the violence. The inaction has emboldened the perpetrators of violence and is becoming a law unto themselves.

We therefore demand:

1. Immediate steps should be taken to facilitate the return of Christian Adivasis to their villages with dignity and security.
2. Legal action should be undertaken without any further delay against the perpetrators of the violence inflicted upon the Christian Adivasis. Strict action is to be taken against those involved in the forcible conversions that have taken place.
3. Strict action should be taken as per law against those police officers who were responsible for inaction against the perpetrators of violence inflicted on the ChristianAdivasis and for non-registration of FIRs.
4. The homes and prayer houses of the Christian Adivasis that were damaged during the attacks should be rebuilt by the State, and victims of violence must be adequately compensated for the pain agony suffered, apart from the loss of property(house, agricultural harvest, cattle, etc.) and livelihood ensured.

Signatories to the statement are:

1. Masooma Ranalvi, Working Group Member of SAFFORB, Goa.
2. Dr. D. K. Giri, Schumacher Society, New Delhi.
3. Inbaraj Jeyakumar, Students Christian Movement of India, Bengaluru.
4. Dhirendra Panda, Co-ordinator, National Solidarity Forum, Bhubaneshwar.
5. Irfan Engineer, Director, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Mumbai.