A gang of extremist Hindu nationalists assaulted a Christian community in India's Chhattisgarh state over the weekend, reports say.
According to information obtained by the International Christian Concern (ICC), 50 Hindu nationalists stormed 14 Christian houses in Metapal town on Nov. 6. Christians identified the instigators as Joga, Lakhma, Magda, and Sukka.
The group moved from house to house, assaulting Christians in an effort to turn Metapal into a "Christian-free" community.
Extremists battered Metapal's Christians, including women and children, with punches, wooden sticks, and other weapons. Nine Christians were reportedly critically hurt.
Three people were brought to Dantewada District Hospital after the incident, where they remain in serious condition. FIR No. 22/2021 has been filed against 15 members of the mob, although no arrests have been made at this point.
Pastor Susheel Kumar, a survivor of the attack, noted that "there has been intense opposition in the village against people practicing Christianity."
He said that the right-wing extremists assaulted three families in the area last year, forcing them to flee. No one has ever seen them again in the community.
"We want the government to treat us fairly and without bias," he added.
In an interview with ICC, another Christian leader who sought anonymity said, "This is not an isolated incident."
He pointed out that religious militant organizations are exerting a great deal of pressure on Christians throughout the state. Unlike Hindus, Christians are not allowed to practice their religion as freely as they choose.
In a related report, Hindu extremists assaulted and tormented a Christian community in Uttar Pradesh's Mau district last month.
Several Christians were reportedly hurt in the incident, and seven others were arrested on spurious claims of forced conversion as a consequence.
Christians were gathering for Sunday church on the morning of October 10 when the incident occurred. A little after 11 a.m., two unidentified individuals stormed the worship hall and immediately started recording the service on their cell phones.
100 members of the Hindu Yuva Vahini, a hardline Hindu nationalist organization, burst into the auditorium and started assaulting a pastor named Abraham and other Christians in attendance. They allegedly took Bibles and Christian songbooks from the Christians as they attacked them.
A total of seven Christians, including, Pastor Abraham were also hauled to the police station where they were questioned by officers. Under Uttar Pradesh's notorious anti-conversion law, all of them were reportedly put in prison after their questioning.
Police also halted the Sunday service and constructed a fence around the facility.
The ICC noted that the anti-conversion laws in Uttar Pradesh have led to an unprecedented surge of persecution for Christians and Muslims alike. At least 56 incidences of violent extremism have occurred in Uttar Pradesh since the anti-conversion legislation was passed in late June. Christian victims who are assaulted and put in jail by Hindu nationalists are sometimes charged with fraudulent forced conversion.
According to research issued last month by the United Christian Forum, more than 300 attacks against Christians in India were documented in the first nine months of 2021.
"The brutal attacks have taken place across 21 states. Most of the incidents are taking place in northern states and 288 instances were of mob violence," said A.C. Michael, National Coordinator of the United Christian Forum.
