Anti-Christian violence: Opening of a church resisted, police raids aid the rightwing

The Christians community is again at the receiving end of the hatred of extreme, Hindutva-inspired  violence. Recently, a video have surfaced on social media, where some far-right group members, all donning some saffron colored clothing can be seen screaming the chants of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ and taking out a procession.

This incident has been reported from Goraha, Nawagarh of Chhattisgarh, and it is being alleged that the said mass rally had been organised to stop the opening (launch/establishment) of a church in the village. Thereafter, the groups can be seen reciting Hanuman Chalisa in the village.

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The video can be viewed here:

In another such incident of targeting Christians, reported from Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, the police raided a house where Christian community members were holding a prayer meet. Media reports have also suggested that police have confiscated the Christians religious books and launched an investigation into allegations of religious conversions.

The video can be viewed here:

These above-mentioned actions of the majoritarian groups, which were anti-Christians in nature, were performed in the garb of cracking down on alleged conversion. The real intention however appears to be to transform India into a functioning majoritarian state where Christians are treated as second class citizens and their institutions are not allowed to function. It is unfortunate to observe that even an opposition state government and its law enforcement agencies are siding with the perpetrators, and using tactics, of conducting “survey” of churches in the state to check “forced conversions” and deploying intelligence officers to gather more information on them. With the result of these surveys never being made public, and hence the allegations remaining un-refuted, the stigma of “conversions” against the entire Christian community sticks, the media’s proverbially sensationalist leanings adding to the targeting.

The vision that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) saw almost a 100 years ago, of establishing and declaring India from a constitutional republic to a theocratic autocracy appears to becoming realised. Unless law enforcement and other wings of the state step up to ensure constitutional governance, this tilt towards unchecked autocratisation will continue.

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