India: Police Stand by as Hindu Nationalists Attack Christian Farmers

by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid intensifying persecution of Christians in India, police in Chhattisgarh state stood by as a large mob of Hindu nationalists attacked a group of Christian agricultural workers who refused to denounce Christ and leave their communal farm last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

On October 30, fourteen Christian farmers in south Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district found themselves surrounded by hundreds of Hindus who stormed onto their land and set about destroying their homes and crops and beating them with wooden sticks, ICC reports. Two women in the Christian group suffered head trauma and broken bones.

Christian rights activist Nagesh Micha noted in a statement to ICC that police were present at the riot and did not intervene. “The police, which are supposed to uphold the fundamental rights of an individual, have allowed 14 people to be beaten in their presence,” Micha said. “This means there are higher authorities who are supporting the mobs.”

In a current website statement about the situation facing India’s Christians, the Open Doors international Christian advocacy reports: “Christians around the nation of India find themselves increasingly under threat. This hostility is often driven by an ongoing belief among some Hindu extremists that Indians ought to be Hindu—and any faith outside of Hinduism is not welcome in India. This mindset has led to violent attacks across the country and impunity for the people who perpetrate this violence, especially in places where the authorities are also Hindu hardliners.”

Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

More Worthy News

Israel, Hezbollah In Deadliest Clashes Since Announcing Truce
Israel, Hezbollah In Deadliest Clashes Since Announcing Truce
Monday, December 2, 2024

Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon blamed each other for the deadliest clashes since their ceasefire came into effect last week, adding to global fears that the region will remain embroiled in armed conflicts.

Trump Issues Stark Warning to Hamas: Release Hostages or ‘There Will Be All Hell To Pay’
Trump Issues Stark Warning to Hamas: Release Hostages or ‘There Will Be All Hell To Pay’
Monday, December 2, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump warned that Hamas would face severe consequences if the hostages taken on October 7 are not released before he takes office in January.

Russia Approves Massive New Military Budget
Russia Approves Massive New Military Budget
Monday, December 2, 2024

Nearly three years into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has just approved a military budget that surpasses the country’s allocated spending on health care, education, and social policy combined, Euro News reports.

Biden under fire for pardoning Hunter
Biden under fire for pardoning Hunter
Monday, December 2, 2024

President-elect Donald Trump responded to President Joe Biden’s expansive pardon of his son, Hunter, calling it a “miscarriage of justice.”

Trump Nominates Kash Patel as FBI Chief
Trump Nominates Kash Patel as FBI Chief
Monday, December 2, 2024

US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Kash Patel, a former federal prosecutor and the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense during the first Trump presidency, to the position of Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

US Approves $387 Million Arms Sale to Taiwan
US Approves $387 Million Arms Sale to Taiwan
Monday, December 2, 2024

The Pentagon announced Friday that the United States has approved a new arms sale to Taiwan worth US$387 million, the Taipei Times (TT) reports. The sale represents the 18th arms deal with Taiwan to be approved by the Biden administration.

Guinea: ‘Scores Killed In Soccer Stadium Stampede’
Guinea: ‘Scores Killed In Soccer Stadium Stampede’
Monday, December 2, 2024

Scores of people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea following clashes between fans sparked by anger over the referee’s decision, the government confirmed Monday.