Christians expelled from villages in Chhattisgarh, their homes vandalised (videos)

Some 14 Christian homes are almost destroyed. Hindutva followers want to ban Christian residents from their villages in Chhattisgarh unless they go back to Hinduism.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) – Dozens of Christians have been expelled from Kakdabeda, Tiliyabeda and Singanpur, a group of villages in Kondagaon district (Chhattisgarh).

Yesterday around 11 am, a group of Hindu nationalists attacked and vandalised 14 Christian homes, shacks built with flimsy wooden poles and tin roofs.

On the same day, more than 1,500 villagers, egged on by nationalist groups, gathered in Singanpur to protest. Many threatened Christians, telling them not to return to their village, but go elsewhere.

These incidents follow Tuesday’s attack against Shivaram Koyam, a Christian from the village of Kakdabeda, whose home was torn down.

Law enforcement and local officials have tried to pacify the villagers without success.

Hindu villagers say that if Christians want to return to live with them, they must return to honour local [Hindu] gods.

The State of Chhattisgarh has had an anti-conversion law since 2000.

For Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), “The bogey of forced conversions preached by Hindutva extremists serves to sow inequities, suspicions and even hatred towards weak tribal Christians. Being a tribal Christian means a life of total precariousness, open to any attack or false accusation.” (N.C.)