Topic: christian

In Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, 36 members of eight Christian families were reportedly assaulted by a Hindu mob on August 10 in Havachur village of Antagarh block, in what appears to be a targeted hate crime against Christians.

Two Malayali Catholic nuns, Preetha Mary and Vandana Francis, were arrested and jailed by Chhattisgarh police after being targeted by members of the Bajrang Dal, who falsely accused them of engaging in forced religious conversions.

A Kerala-based Christian family living in Chhattisgarh has alleged constant harassment at the hands of Hindu right-wing groups Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), forcing the members to go into hiding in order to save their lives.

In a concerning development, the United Christian Forum (UCF) on Thursday said that they have received 245 calls from different parts of the country regarding incidents of violence against Christians. The data was collected over three months through the forum’s helpline service.

Attacks on Christians have increased in different parts of the country. However, in Central India’s Chhattisgarh, particularly, there has been a massive campaign to brainwash young Hindu men into attacking the community for alleged “forced conversions.”

Local Hindutva leader and social media influencer Aadesh Soni called on Hindus to attack, rape, and kill Christians across the villages of Bishrampur, Ganeshpur, and Jhanakpur in Chhattisgarh in March, accusing them of "brainwashing children" through conversion efforts.