Christians attacked for not “reconverting” to Hinduism

Le Journal Chretien tells of how two men in the Madhya Pradesh state in India, who converted to Christianity four years ago, were attacked for not turning back to Hinduism.

Ostracized by their village for the past year, two converts of a church in Madhya Pradesh state’s Shahdol district have been beaten for their refusal to return to the Hindu fold.
Santu Prasad Barmaia and Kunjan Prasad Barmaia, both farmers and members of a Gospel for Asia church in Paralia village, were attacked by a group of 12 villagers on October 19.The attack took place in the morning, when the two were on their way to their fields, a local Christian requesting anonymity told Compass. Both men suffered internal injuries.

Police have not arrested the culprits, the source said, in spite of the fact that the victims named them in a complaint filed at the Amarkantak police station.

Police officials could not be reached for comment.

The source explained that villagers were angry with the Christians for declining to participate in Hindu rituals since receiving Christ four years ago. “The villagers had been persistently putting pressure on them to ‘reconvert’ to Hinduism,” he said.

He added that in the past year villagers have refused to allow the two men, the only Christians in the village, to take water from the hamlet’s common well to pressure them to return to Hinduism. In spite of their limited resources, the Christians dug their own well.

“Earlier, some miscreants vandalized a Hindu temple in the village and the blame fell on the Christians,” the source said. “Later, however, police investigation revealed that they had not done it. Yet the villagers continued to treat them with contempt.”

Please remember these two brothers in your prayers.