Chhattisgarh: Christian Family Hounded by Hindutva Mob, Forced Into Hiding; Police Refuses FIR

Kawardha: A Christian family in Chhattisgarh’s Kawardha that runs a Christian school has been forced into hiding after enduring a violent attack by a Hindutva mob on May 18 during a Sunday church service.

Videos of the attack circulating online were verified and they show Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members storming into the Holy Kingdom English Higher Secondary School, assaulting the staff and alleging forced religious conversions – a claim for which the attackers did not provide any evidence.

The victims, however, allege that the entire episode is a continuation of years of harassment and extortion, now escalated with police inaction and political complicity.

‘We’ve worshipped here for decades; now we’re criminals?”

On May 18, around 11:40 AM, about 80-100 Bajrang Dal and VHP members barged into the school compound, where a Sunday church service was in progress. Shouting “Jai Shri Ram“, the mob allegedly broke into prayer rooms, beat members of the congregation, including women and minors, and “terrorised teenage girls hiding in washrooms”.

The Holy Kingdom school’s principal, Pastor Jose Thomas, has served in Kawardha for over 35 years. His son, Joshua Jose Thomas, recounts, “Our family has been running this school with the aim to provide education to all communities. But this time, they beat my mother and younger brother. My father was arrested. Now we are in hiding. And police won’t register our complaint.”

In a video statement, Pastor Thomas says, “Many IAS officers, police officers, doctors, engineers and CAs (chartered accountants) have completed school from here. It’s a 35-year-old school.”

Videos of the May 18 incident show local police and media present during the assault.

Not only did police reportedly fail to prevent the violence, but they allegedly tried to coerce members of the congregation into changing their statements to support the forced conversion charge. The police also confiscated the CCTV footage of the attack, but it has not been made public.

‘Government pressure’

A day after the assault, police arrested Pastor Jose under vague charges after calling him for a supposed “CCTV examination”.

His phone was allegedly searched without a warrant, and his wife was also summoned. Once granted bail, Pastor Jose had to escape Kawardha by hiding inside the boot of a car as Bajrang Dal men gathered outside the court to “deal with him”.

Despite multiple attempts, the police has refused the family from registering an FIR against the attackers. Joshua alleges that local police officers, including additional superintendent of police (ASP) Baghel and SP Dharmendra Singh, were acting under “government pressure.”

Political leaders, including BJP district president Rajendra Chandravanshi and state Home Minister Vijay Sharma, are accused of shielding the assailants.

In a video, a local woman officer, who is seen arguing with Bajrang Dal men, is told to “investigate thousands of cases” of conversion. However, no specific instance is cited.

Extortion attempt

Joshua claims that the real trigger for the violence was a fee dispute. BJP leader Rajendra Chandravanshi had called the school asking for a transfer certificate for a BJP supporter’s child, despite two years of unpaid fees and no formal application.

When the school refused, pressure intensified. The family claims they were then targeted by a campaign of threats, ransom demands – including Rs 1 lakh to suppress the conversion story – and media harassment.

By May 6, Bajrang Dal and VHP workers, along with a local online channel, started staging protests at the collectorate, calling for the school’s shutdown.

Ultimately, the school issued the certificate under duress, but the attacks did not stop there.

A pattern of persecution

This is not the first time that the Thomas family has been targeted.

In 2010–11, Pastor Jose was jailed for 10 days under false charges, before being acquitted by the courts. In 2022, a 100-member mob demolished parts of the school’s residential area. The family alleges that agencies like the Income Tax department froze their bank accounts without due process, all as part of a “broader political effort to drive them out”.

Even now, mobs allegedly gather daily outside the court, police station and school.

“They say they’ll kill us if we don’t leave Kawardha,” says Joshua. “No friends are supporting us. Even Congress leaders we approached are too scared to help.”

After meeting the district magistrate, Joshua’s mother tried to speak directly to Chhattisgarh home minister Vijay Sharma at a wedding function.

“She confronted him, and he said, ‘We’ll see’,” says Joshua. “Since then, it’s been worse.”

Authorities remain silent

Despite mounting evidence, including videos, eyewitness testimonies and Joshua’s detailed written complaint, the police have not filed an FIR against the attackers.

Media reports suggest that one officer may be transferred, but beyond that, no action has been taken against those who led the mob.

This past Sunday, several churches across Kawardha remained closed.

“People are afraid. Even those who used to stand with us are distancing themselves. Everyone’s just waiting for things to cool down,” Joshua says.

This article was originally published on https://thewire.in/communalism/chhattisgarh-christian-family-hounded-by-hindutva-mob-forced-into-hiding-police-refuses-fir