Kolkata, India, Jul 5, 2018 / 16:00 pm
Several Christian families have been assaulted and expelled from their village by local extremists for refusing to renounce their faith, drawing protest from an American group who says the attack violates the families' rights under Indian law.
"We here at International Christian Concern are deeply concerned to see that 10 Christian families have been beaten and displaced for merely exercising their religious freedom rights," William Stark, regional manager at International Christian Concern, said July 3.
International Christian Concern, a non-denominational Christian NGO based in the U.S., reports that 10 Christian families in the eastern India state of Jharkhand have been driven from their homes for refusing to renounce their faith.
On June 5 the ten Christian families from Pahli village in Latehar district were summoned to a meeting with local radicals. The radicals told them to renounce their faith or leave. After the families refused, they were beaten and driven from their village.
The radicals then locked down their homes. The Christians have been unable to return to their homes and local authorities are either unable or unwilling to assist them. Local police in Balumat have unlocked some of their houses, but have taken no action against the radicals, 25-year-old Shyamlal Kujju, one of the Christians affected, told ICC.
"We are living in fear, away from our homes," Kujju said. "It is almost a month since my house is locked by Hindu radicals and there is no attempt by the police or the government to resolve the issue. Our lives are devastated as we hide ourselves from the Hindu radicals. We do not know how long this will continue."