Christians flee homes after Good Friday attack in eastern India

A mob of Hindu tribal villagers disrupted the Good Friday service in a village in eastern Odisha and locked the village church, forcing all seven Christian families to flee for safety, amid concerns about rising hostility toward Christians in the region.

A mob of more than 100 people, armed with wooden sticks, stormed the indigenous Vishwa Vani (Voice of the World) Church on April 3 and disrupted the services, local Christian pastor Jagannath Hembrom told UCA News on April 6.

The attackers also locked the church based in Motilocha-Singhbahali village, in the predominantly tribal district of Keonjhar, the pastor said.

When attacked, the church had about 60 Christians, with around 30 coming from neighboring villages to prepare for Easter Sunday two days later, the pastor said.

The attackers “threatened us that if we wanted to live in our village, we should return to our original tribal religion,” said Hembrom, an ethnic Santhal.

According to the pastor, Hindu leaders said they want to “cleanse” the village of Christian religions, which was “destroying” the tribal Sarna religion and culture.

Seven Christian families in the village, around 30 people, have fled to the neighboring village out of fear for their lives. They can return when the situation gets better, the pastor said.

Mitali Biswal, a police officer at Harichandanpur Police Station, which covers the area, said a peace meeting was held with community leaders to restore peace.

No arrests have been made, the officer said.

“Both [groups] have given in writing that they will respect all religions, their rituals and rites, and worship,” Biswal told UCA News, adding that two platoons of police were deployed at the village to maintain peace.

Local government officials have visited the village to evaluate the situation, she added.

“The situation is very grave. Local villagers are being instigated by three to four right-wing political leaders against the Christian community,” said Jaganath Majhi, one of the seven Christians who complained to police.

The police have not registered their complaint yet, Majhi told UCA News April 6.

“Unless the tense situation returns to normal, these 30 Christians, including women and children, simply cannot return to their ancestral homes,” Majhi said.

Keonjhar district gained attention for anti-Christian violence since Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons were burned alive in their station wagon on Jan. 22, 1999.

Police recorded another triple murder of a Christian family of Jitendra Soren, his wife Malati, and their 15-year-old daughter Mami on the night of Jan. 25 this year inside their home in Nialijharan village in Keonjhar district.

In its 2026 report released last month, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom called on the State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern,” citing ongoing and systematic violations of religious freedom.

This article was originally published on https://www.ucanews.com/news/christians-flee-homes-after-good-friday-attack-in-eastern-india/112692