Family driven out from village in Jharkhand for embracing Christ

A tribal family in Jharkhand has been driven out from the village for giving up animism practices and embracing Christianity.

According to news reports, Santosh Karmali was forced to sign an agreement with the followers of the Sarna religion in Dubalia village near Ranchi, forfeiting his family's land and property. Sarna is local name for animism.

Karmali's wife, Shiva Devi, was severely humiliated by having her head tonsured and having lime powder applied to her face. The local villagers also paraded her around the village and chased her, Santosh and three sons, Amar, Vikram and Preetam out of the village, threatening to kill them if they returned.

Santosh's father, Ram Kishun Karmali, and mother joined thousands of villagers in driving them out of Dubalia, Compass reported.

The family has been barred from town so that they do not "pollute the atmosphere of the village any more," sources told Compass. The Sarna Samiti, a socio–religious committee of tribal peoples in Jharkhand, has taken possession of the land owned by Santosh Karmali.

Sandeep Oraon, general secretary of the Dubalia tribal group, has also announced that the group would soon start spreading accusations that Christian missionary medical camps and schools in and around the village had the sole intention of converting the tribal people.

"This amounts to social coercion on an individual who has every right to choose his belief and practices," Fr. Babu Joseph, spokesman, CBCI, said.

Jharkhand is largely tribal–populated. There is a considerable presence of Christian missionaries in Jharkhand and lately, the Christian community and the church had to face the brunt of anti–communal violence perpetrated by right–wing Hindu groups.