Tag: Raipur

Police rapes, acquittals and false accusations highlight Christians’ vulnerability in India

January 12, 2017 India Chhattisgarh, Dalits, Hindu nationalism, India, Raipur, Rape, Women

The acquittal of two suspects in the gang rape of a Catholic nun, and a series of rapes by security forces in remote areas of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh have highlighted the vulnerability of women from marginalised communities. “If you are a woman tribal or from a minority, . . . Read More

Indian pastor and pregnant wife attacked by militant Hindus

April 21, 2016 India Bajrang Dal, BJP, Chhattisgarh, Hindu nationalism, India, Pentecostals, Raipur

An Indian pastor and his pregnant wife were assaulted and their church set on fire on Sunday evening (17 April) after they refused to praise a Hindu god. Pastor Dinbanhu Sameli, 30, and his wife, Meena, 26, seven months pregnant, lead a church in the troubled Bastar district of the . . . Read More

Indian court provides ‘minor relief’ from ban on Christianity

October 21, 2015 India Chhattisgarh, Human rights, India, Raipur, Religious freedom, Vishva Hindu Parishad

The high court of Chhattisgarh state in central India has asked the state government to ensure that anti-Christian resolutions passed by village councils will not infringe religious freedom. A Christian organization challenging the local resolutions said the court order is “only a minor relief.” In July 2014, the village of . . . Read More

India’s Christians are under attack

September 11, 2015 India Anti-conversion law, BJP, Chhattisgarh, Hindu nationalism, Kandhamal, Madhya Pradesh, Naxalites, Odisha, Pune, Punjab, Raipur

Rahul Nayak, 25, the eldest son of Dhubaleswar and Bhubudi Nayak, a Christian couple shot dead in Odisha in July.Campaign Against Fabricated Cases The number of violent attacks on Christians and churches in India increased over the summer months. Below, World Watch Monitor lists 18 incidents from July, August and . . . Read More

VHP leads mob to destroy Indian church

May 14, 2013 India Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Churches, Hindu nationalism, Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Raipur, Vishva Hindu Parishad

Members of Divya Jyoti Church were too late to stop a mob from knocking down their building.World Watch Monitor On March 12 in a southeast India village, the local newspaper published allegations that Divya Jyoti Church had been built on government land. The next day, a crowd equipped with . . . Read More

India: Persecution Briefs

March 19, 2013 India Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, BJP, Chhattisgarh, Converts, Hindu nationalism, India, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Pentecostals, Raipur, Tamil Nadu

India ranks No. 31 on the 2013 World Watch List, a ranking of the 50 countries where living as a Christian is most difficult. The list is created annually by Open Doors International, a worldwide ministry to Christians who live under pressure because of their faith. Most Christians live openly . . . Read More

India briefs: recent incidents of persecution

February 29, 2012 India Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, India, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Raipur, RSS

State police on Feb. 21 arrested a Christian after Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) accused him of forceful conversion and beat him in Thuvakudi, Trichy district. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the Hindu extremists made the accusation against Sahayam Chidambaran after arguing with . . . Read More

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