A Catholic church was vandalized on suspicion of conducting religious conversions and a policeman was injured during a tribal protest in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, India.
Photo: ucanews
Newsroom (04/01/2023 7:55 AM, Gaudium Press) The interior of the Sacred Heart Church in the village of Narayanpur, in the Bastar district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, was vandalized this January 2, following a clash between natives who follow the animist religion and those who follow the Christian faith. Hundreds of villagers armed with wooden sticks and iron bars marched towards the Sacred Heart Church, smashing the windows, destroying the altar, the crucifix, the church images and scattering the consecrated wafers, as well as breaking the furniture.
On December 31, 2022, members of tribal communities had held demonstrations protesting the alleged religious conversions, after which clashes occurred between tribal and Christian groups. The non-Christian native peoples insisted that their fellow Christians abandon the Christian faith and return to their traditional animist practices. But the Christians have refused to do so.
On Monday, members of the Sarva Adivasi Samaj called a protest against the clashes, in which some of their members were reportedly injured. The protest turned violent and a mob stormed the church compound.
To prevent the situation from getting out of control, police were deployed in the area. However, Narayanpur police superintendent Sadanand Kumar, who tried to calm the crowd, was injured and was taken to the hospital for care, his condition was considered stable after getting stitches on his head, while there were about ten other injured policemen.
The tribal agitators were protesting against the “rampant conversion” taking place in the area and alleged that Christians were attacking the tribal people in one way or another.
Superintendent Kumar told reporters, “The tribal communities called a meeting for this Monday and their leaders asked me to hold the event peacefully. But some people suddenly went to attack a church and the policemen rushed to the scene. While trying to control the situation, I was attacked in the head from behind. Investigation will be done against the offenders.”
The pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Father Jomon Devasia, stated that the situation remains tense.
More than 1,000 natives who follow the Christian faith have been driven from their homes in villages near Narayanpur in recent months, according to church sources.
With Ucanews information.
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
