Mob attacks Pentecostal church in eastern Indian village

A mob of tribal Hindu villagers attacked and vandalized a Pentecostal church in eastern India’s Odisha state on March 5 amid growing concerns over rising hostility toward Christians in the region.

The mob forced open the door of the Elim Pentecostal Church in Rengalguda village in Koraput district, breaking the altar and furniture and dismantling the roof of the church building, said Abhi Harijan, a member of the congregation.
The Elim Pentecostal Church is a UK-based Protestant denomination founded in 1915.

A mob from my own village attacked the church, Harijan told UCA News on March 7.

He said 13 Christian families now live in fear among about 400 Hindu families in the village following the attack.

Harijan said the incident occurred after a dispute on March 4, following an accident when his father burned straw from a harvested corn crop in his field. The fire — believed to have been extinguished — spread to neighboring farmland, damaging crops.

The villagers called my family to a meeting and demanded 300,000 rupees (about US$3,600) as compensation, said Harijan, a farmer. We said we could not pay that amount but agreed to give 10,000 rupees.

The next day, they attacked the church, he said.

Harijan said he filed a police complaint on March 6, accusing 18 villagers of vandalizing the church.

Police have begun an investigation.
We have taken note of the complaint and called both parties to the police station on March 6, Limaraj Pradhan, officer at Bisingpur police station, which covers the village, told UCA News.

He said that 30 villagers who attended the meeting were warned against engaging in violence. Police are patrolling the area, but no arrests have been made so far

Despite the attack, local Christians continued their regular worship.

Pastor Sujit Mohuria said about 30 people, including women and children, attended the Sunday service on March 8, in the presence of four police constables. The service was held outdoors as the building was damaged, he said.

Christian leaders say the incident reflects the increasing anti-Christian atmosphere in the state, where the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) runs the government.

Ismail Patro, general secretary of the National Christian Forum, who is assisting the affected families, said the dispute over the fire was a pretext to intimidate Christians.

Bishop Pallab Lima of the United Believers Council Network of India said Hindu hardliners were behind the attack.

The church — including Lutherans, Pentecostals and independent congregations — is growing in the Borigumma block of the Koraput district, and Hindu hardliners do not want it, Lima said.

Odisha recorded 40 incidents of Christian persecution in 2024, including disruptions of prayer services and denial of burial rights in villages, according to data released by the United Christian Forum (UCF), a New Delhi-based ecumenical body that tracks cases of violence against Christians in India.

Christians make up 2.77% of Odisha’s population of about 42 million people. More than 90% of residents are Hindus and members of indigenous communities.

The state witnessed large-scale anti-Christian violence in 2008 in Kandhamal district, when more than 100 Christians were killed during seven weeks of violence. It also left some 300 churches destroyed and more than 56,000 Christians displaced.

This article was originally published on https://www.ucanews.com/amp/mob-attacks-pentecostal-church-in-eastern-indian-village/112189