Christians banned from villages in Chhattisgarh, India as religious hostility increases in state

Christians in India have been banned from living in their villages unless they renounce their faith.

According to local reports, eight village councils in the Sukma District of Chhattisgarh state have passed resolutions banning Christians from living in the villages, threatening to loot their properties if they do not comply. Approximately 100 Christians are believed to be affected by the joint resolution adopted on 17 November by the village councils in the Sukma District.

The move directly contradicts the Indian Constitution, which in Article 25 declares that “all persons are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice, and propagate religion.” However, a local leader from one of the villages claimed that the authority of the village councils overrides India’s Constitution, allowing the forced evictions to proceed.

Many of the affected Christians are now seeking temporary refuge in a church building in Michwar, one of the villages.

This incident is part of an increasingly hostile religious environment within the state, often focused on Christians in rural communities who face having their land taken from them.

In June of this year, Christian families were attacked in the Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh and ordered to either convert to Hinduism or leave their village. Later that month, a Christian woman was hacked to death by her relatives in the southern region of the state. The attack occurred after the woman attempted to farm land her relatives claimed was no longer hers because of her conversion to Christianity.

In October, a mob attacked 14 Christians in the southern Chhattisgarh Dantewada district after they harvested crops from a communal farm. The attack allegedly took place while local police officers watched.

The Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Act, 1968, has been criticised for being misused against minority communities, particularly Christians. Although the law is said to address “forced conversions”, it is often thought to be designed to limit the activities of Christian groups.

In 2006, the state’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), known for its Hindu nationalist tendencies and of which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member, increased the severity of punishments for alleged “forced conversions” under the law. In February 2024, the state government announced a further amendment to the law to introduce more stringent measures.

Christianity has long been embraced by those on the fringes of Indian society. The caste system, a social hierarchy often associated with Hinduism, divides communities and leaves some facing discrimination and persecution. Dalits (formerly referred to as “untouchables”) and Adivasis (indigenous tribal communities) are considered “lower castes” and make up the majority of Christians in India. Their acceptance of Christianity allows them to escape the social exclusion they face within the Hindu community.

The United Christian Forum, which advocates for the rights of Christians and other religious minorities in India, received 673 incident reports through its helpline in October of this year. Chhattisgarh was the second most reported state after Uttar Pradesh, with 139 incidents.

(Members of Christian organisations take part in a candle-lit protest at India Gate in New Delhi | Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images)

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