A mob in Chattisgarh attacked a church and thrashed the police team that reached the spot on Monday afternoon.
The Superintendent of Police Sadanand Kumar suffered a gashing head injury during the incident. According to sources, two tribal groups, the Sarv Adivasi Samaj and the converted villagers, had been at battling over religious conversion.
The converted people blamed the others for troubling them after they converted. The opposing group took out a rally on Monday and alleged that the conversions were forced and done by allurement, which the converted group denied.
The crowd participating in the rally became wild and vandalized a church at Bangalpara. The crowd was undeterred by the presence of police, SP Sadanand Kumar was also attacked. Kumar said that the people were told to protest peacefully when some of them charged toward the church and broke religious idols.
Kumar added that he, along with the police, pacified the agitators when someone attacked him from behind, causing a head injury. The SP apprised that the situation has been brought under control and both sides have been separated.
Christians are concerned about the many incidents where Christian churches and idols are attacked and destroyed. This news is sending shock waves across minorities due to rising attacks on them. It is apparent to all that the attackers do not even fear the law and its consequences, which is why they are getting bolder.
Earlier, The New York Times wrote an article quoting, “They want to remove us from society,” a Christian farmer said of Hindu extremists. Rising attacks on Christians are part of a broader shift in India, in which minorities feel less safe.
India’s human track record was under the spotlight on November 10 during the Universal Periodic Review by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. Violence against religious minorities in India has been increasing, especially against Muslims, and Christians and the UN asks India to protect them. UN member states have especially asked the Indian government to protect Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities from increasing hate speech, discrimination, and violence. A dozen states urged the Indian government to take action in upholding the rights of religious minorities: to ensure that anti-conversion laws do not infringe upon the right to freedom of religion and belief
