Christians attacked in Chhattisgarh

Six believers, including a pregnant woman, were attacked in Chhattisgarh, during a village meeting convened in Bastar district sparking communal tension.

On November 9, a panchayat (village council) meeting took place in Bamhni village where issues such as religious conversion were addressed.

Puran Patel, a politician who has strong connections with the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state, has been continuously terrorizing the Christians in the village, compelling the latter to turn to the village council for protection.

"The believers in Bamhni have been terrorized by Patel for the past year," Pastor Pramod Paul of the local Brethren Assembly said. "He has threatened me, too, and warned me to keep away from the village."

However, when the village chief called both the parties and read out the complaint, Patel stood up, shouting anti–Christian slogans, using derogatory language.

According to eye witnesses, Patel then walked over to the believers and began slapping them. Soon thereafter, his associates joined in, beating both men and women in the group.

Patel and his friends severely beat Anup Mandavi, Mani Korram, Jaisingh Patel and Krishna Patel. They also pushed Havan Patel, the wife of Krishna Patel, against a wall – and kicked Sukbati Mandavi, the pregnant wife of Anup Mandavi, in the stomach, sources recalled, adding that all throughout, the village council remained mute, refusing to intervene.

According to Arun Pannalal, general secretary of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, the believers managed to escape with their lives and fled to the nearby Kondagaon police station where they filed a complaint. However, "even though the marks of the beatings were clearly visible, the police would not file a complaint," Pannalal said.

Subsequently, however, the police file d a formal complaint when Christian Forum threatened to hold demonstrations throughout the district.

Investigations are still on and at time of press, no arrests had been made.