INDIAPOSITIVE
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29 Christians were beaten after refusing to reconvert to Hinduism in the village of Katholi in India.
Hinduextremists went on the rampage at a public meeting and vandalised their homes.
The extremists started a vendetta against the families, including eight children, and performed rituals ahead of the public meeting and repeatedly ordered the families to convert.
When the Christians refused to convert at the meeting, men, women and children were beaten.
Hindu extremists have been attacking Christians more frequently and more violently
Open Doors UK
Six people were left seriously injured and forced to travel miles for help.
A spokesman for Christian charity Open Doors said: “The villagers accused them saying- because of you our god and goddess are fleeing from our village.
“When they refused to forsake Christ they began to beat them.
“Beating them they drove them towards their houses and threw out their belonging.
“They also started vandalising their houses. To save themselves the believers ran away from the village and reported it to the police.”
Police investigating the incident ordered the extremists to stop their attacks.
Four days later the families returned to their destroyed homes but were forced to leave when angry villagers made death threats.
A spokesman for Open Doors added: “The authorities asked them to return and said they would sort it out but they went back and were surrounded.
OPEN DOORS UK
An angry mob destroyed the roof of one home
“The villagers were making death threats so they were forced to leave again.
“They had to leave behind a 70-year-old woman and some of the children who couldn’t run fast enough.”
“Sadly persecution of Christians in India is rising.
“Hindu extremists have been attacking Christians more frequently and more violently. This is happening across India and has increased by 34% since 2013.
“Christians are also finding they are prevented from getting certain jobs, buying land or developing land in certain areas and even distributing Christian literature has led to arrests in cities like Delhi.
OPEN DOORS UK
The families homes were destroyed in the attack
“Open Doors is supportingChristians in Indiathrough local churches and partner organisations and continuing to campaign to ensure that Article 18 on the UN Convention of Human Rights – freedom of belief is upheld in India – the world’s second largest democracy.”
The families, who had converted two years earlier had also struggled to secure work after they became Christians with the community boycotting them.
The incident comes as the Indian government, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist group, has been accused of turning a blind eye to attacks against religious minorities.
OPEN DOORS UK
Villagers were forced to flee their homes in Katholi
The village is part of the Chhattisgarh district, which is one of five states where it is against the law to convert, with other states expected to introduce the laws too.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said: “It is extremely concerning that these vigilante actions are on the rise.
“Many of these attackers believe that in attacking religious minorities they are fulfilling the vision of the ruling party and that they will be protected.
“It is important that the prime minister and senior leaders of the BJP unequivocally condemn and discourage these attacks and ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted.”
OPEN DOORS UK
Local churches have donated clothes and food to the Christian families
According to Christian charity Open Doors more than 350 Christians were physically attacked in the last year, including three women being raped and tortured and at least nine killed for their faith.
The rise of Hindu extremisms and violent attacks on religious minorities, on average one a day, has provoked outrage in the country.
Of India’s 1.3billion people, 80 per cent are Muslim and just three per cent are Christian.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world...stians-tortured-for-refusing-to-convert-India
Hinduextremists went on the rampage at a public meeting and vandalised their homes.
The extremists started a vendetta against the families, including eight children, and performed rituals ahead of the public meeting and repeatedly ordered the families to convert.
When the Christians refused to convert at the meeting, men, women and children were beaten.
Hindu extremists have been attacking Christians more frequently and more violently
Open Doors UK
Six people were left seriously injured and forced to travel miles for help.
A spokesman for Christian charity Open Doors said: “The villagers accused them saying- because of you our god and goddess are fleeing from our village.
“When they refused to forsake Christ they began to beat them.
“Beating them they drove them towards their houses and threw out their belonging.
“They also started vandalising their houses. To save themselves the believers ran away from the village and reported it to the police.”
Police investigating the incident ordered the extremists to stop their attacks.
Four days later the families returned to their destroyed homes but were forced to leave when angry villagers made death threats.
A spokesman for Open Doors added: “The authorities asked them to return and said they would sort it out but they went back and were surrounded.
An angry mob destroyed the roof of one home
“The villagers were making death threats so they were forced to leave again.
“They had to leave behind a 70-year-old woman and some of the children who couldn’t run fast enough.”
“Sadly persecution of Christians in India is rising.
“Hindu extremists have been attacking Christians more frequently and more violently. This is happening across India and has increased by 34% since 2013.
“Christians are also finding they are prevented from getting certain jobs, buying land or developing land in certain areas and even distributing Christian literature has led to arrests in cities like Delhi.
The families homes were destroyed in the attack
“Open Doors is supportingChristians in Indiathrough local churches and partner organisations and continuing to campaign to ensure that Article 18 on the UN Convention of Human Rights – freedom of belief is upheld in India – the world’s second largest democracy.”
The families, who had converted two years earlier had also struggled to secure work after they became Christians with the community boycotting them.
The incident comes as the Indian government, led by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a Hindu nationalist group, has been accused of turning a blind eye to attacks against religious minorities.
Villagers were forced to flee their homes in Katholi
The village is part of the Chhattisgarh district, which is one of five states where it is against the law to convert, with other states expected to introduce the laws too.
Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch, said: “It is extremely concerning that these vigilante actions are on the rise.
“Many of these attackers believe that in attacking religious minorities they are fulfilling the vision of the ruling party and that they will be protected.
“It is important that the prime minister and senior leaders of the BJP unequivocally condemn and discourage these attacks and ensure the perpetrators are prosecuted.”
Local churches have donated clothes and food to the Christian families
According to Christian charity Open Doors more than 350 Christians were physically attacked in the last year, including three women being raped and tortured and at least nine killed for their faith.
The rise of Hindu extremisms and violent attacks on religious minorities, on average one a day, has provoked outrage in the country.
Of India’s 1.3billion people, 80 per cent are Muslim and just three per cent are Christian.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world...stians-tortured-for-refusing-to-convert-India
