Coordinated Hindu supremacist attacks against Christians in Chhattisgarh reprehensible, say Indian Americans
IAMC strongly condemned anti-Christian atrocities committed by Hindu extremist groups in India’s Chhattisgarh state.
Washington, D.C. (December 26, 2022) – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) today condemned a series of ongoing and coordinated attacks by Hindu supremacists – including mob beatings, evictions, molestation, sexual harassment, church vandalism, property theft, and attempted forced conversions – against Indian Christians in Chhattisgarh state.
IAMC also called on the Indian government to stop the delay in taking action against the perpetrators and enforce strict consequences for their crimes.
Christian leaders have reported that at least 60 Christian families were assaulted by Hindu supremacists in the past two months, while around 200 Christian families have been forcibly evicted from their homes in 12 to 14 villages. Fifty people were beaten up and driven out of their homes in one district, while 500 people were evicted from two other districts. Hindu mobs have also vandalized Christian places of worship. Overall, 41 attacks were reported in December, 20 of which occurred on December 18 alone, 15 attacks in November, and three in October.
Additionally, Hindu supremacists have been attempting to forcefully convert Christians to Hinduism in a practice known as Ghar Wapasi.
However, not a single case has yet been registered against the Hindu supremacists responsible for terrorizing Christian villagers.
According to the victim community, the violence was instigated by local political leaders linked with the fascist paramilitary group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its affiliates. The RSS has been encouraging such attacks in tribal areas, seeking to divide the already marginalized residents on religious lines by claiming that no tribal village should be “Christian-dominated.”
As the violence remains unchallenged by local law enforcement, Christians across Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district are voicing their outrage over the lack of consequences against Hindu supremacists, with around 1,000 Christians camping out in front of a government building to put pressure on authorities to register a police report.
“It is appalling and reprehensible that while Hindu supremacists are inflicting violence and terror on Christian women, children, and men, Chhattisgarh authorities are doing nothing to protect them,” said Syed Afzal Ali, IAMC President. “The Muslim community stands by our Christian brothers and sisters and condemns the obvious impunity offered to Hindu extremist groups by the state government.”
“The fact that not a single report has been registered on any one of the staggering numbers of hate crimes against Chhattisgarh’s Christian minority should be a cause for great alarm throughout the international community,” said Rasheed Ahmed, IAMC Executive Director.
“This is yet another smoke signal showing the grave danger Indian Christians are in. It is high time for the United States government to speak out against these atrocities and pressure Indian authorities into taking action against violent Hindu supremacists,” Ahmed added.
