More than 30 Christians were injured when a mob attacked a prayer gathering in India’s Odisha state, and local residents say no arrests have been made nearly two weeks after the incident.
At least 20 people suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized following the assault, which local leaders alleged was carried out by Hindu nationalist groups.
The attack took place in Kotamateru village of Malkangiri district on June 21, when around 20 farming Christian families had assembled to bless seeds before the planting season. Nearly 400 people from nearby villages stormed the area with weapons, including axes, and began what appeared to be a coordinated assault, according to the rights group Christian Solidarity International.
One of the victims alerted a pastor outside the village, who then contacted Malkangiri Police Station. Officers reached the scene and assisted with evacuating the injured to Malkangiri District Hospital.
The rest of the community sought shelter in a nearby church, which has since been functioning as a temporary relief center, CSI said.
The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported that the attack targeted Christians from three different villages who were eating lunch together. Victims were beaten with sticks and sharp objects.
Local police have offered a different explanation.
Rigan Kinda, an inspector with Malkangiri Police Station, told the Indian newspaper The Telegraph that the violence resulted from a dispute between two brothers, one a Christian and the other a Hindu. He claimed the Christian group was questioned about their faith, which escalated into violence.
Christian leaders have rejected the police version.
They alleged that the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist group, orchestrated the attack. Bajrang Dal district leader Sibapada Mirdha denied any involvement but said there was growing resistance among Hindus to what they saw as religious conversions by Christians. He added that “sometimes there is a spontaneous reaction to this,” according to the Telegraph.
A local pastor told CSI that threats against Christians have increased since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party formed the state government in Odisha in June 2024. The pastor described being unable to leave his home for work because of repeated threats, and pointed to a video circulating on social media where a Hindu nationalist leader warned Christians of consequences if they continued converting people.
Representatives from Christian organizations including Rashtriya Christian Morcha (National Christian Forum), Malkangiri District Christian Manch, Progressive Christian Alliance and Council of Evangelical Churches in India visited the victims. They also met with the district police chief to demand the immediate arrest of the perpetrators and raised questions about the lack of legal action, according to ICC.
A formal complaint was filed with the police, who registered charges related to causing hurt and unlawful confinement. However, a local source told CSI that the complaint did not invoke more serious provisions under the penal code. The source said charges such as attempted murder, as well as sections addressing religious hate crimes and disruptions to religious assemblies, were notably missing.
The Malkangiri Pastors Fellowship submitted a memorandum to the district police chief on June 23, calling for the establishment of a permanent police outpost in Kotamateru and surrounding villages.
No arrests had been made and police had not provided any security, according to CSI.
Bishop Pallab Kumar Lima, who leads the Odisha chapter of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha, described the aftermath as “a grave humanitarian crisis,” according to Catholic Connect. He urged the state government to provide relief and protection under the Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme.
Christian families in the region have reported rising levels of hostility in recent years.
Read the complete article at ChristianPost.com
READ MORE ARTICLES:
- Kate Stanford Drops New Track “Inside Out”
- Jordan G. Welch Announces ‘The Worship Culture Tour’ Across 7 Cities
- Jason Gray Drops Acoustic ‘Greatest Hits’ Album with Over 131 Million Streams
- First ASL Bible Series Breaks Barriers for Kids
- Pastor Behind ‘Baptize America’ Sees Baptisms as Tools for City Evangelism
