By Riya Talitha / Two Circles
NEW DELHI – Pastors, nuns, congregants, social workers, activists, and concerned citizens came together on the afternoon of January 21 at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi road to protest the violence and displacement suffered by Adivasi Christians in Chhattisgarh over the past couple of months.
According to a fact-finding committee by the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, between December 9 and 18, almost 1000 Adivasi Christians from multiple villages from the Narayanpur and Kondagaon districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region were attacked and fled their homes. There were also reports of destroyed houses, lands, property and churches. Currently, over 50 families of victims of persecution are camped at an indoor stadium in Narayanpur in deplorable conditions, doubting if they will ever be able to return to their homes and fearing for their safety.
CHHATTISGARH: WHAT MADE TRIBAL CHRISTIANS FLEE FROM THEIR VILLAGES AMID ANTI-CHRISTIAN VIOLENCE?
Around 150 people gathered for the protest organised by several women’s organisations of various mandates to condemn the atrocities unleashed on women and children. The area was buzzing with activity and conversation. Slogans calling for freedom and speeches contextualising the recent events as part of a much longer history of persecution and religious intolerance abounded.
“Why are they segregating the Christian minority? Why are you attacking a vulnerable minority? So this protest is to condemn that violence and intolerance. This is not a Christian issue; this is a constitutional issue. If the constitution gives me the right to worship what I want, who else can say object?” questions Sister Manju Devarapalli, national secretary of the National Dalit Christian Watch (NDCW).
This story was originally published in twocircles.net . Read the full story here