Narayanpur (Chhattisgarh): On November 2, 13-year-old Sunita from the Brehebeda village of Chhattisgarh died of typhoid at the district hospital in Narayanpur.
When her body was brought home, a large number of villagers arrived and stopped the family from burying the teenager’s body on the village land using Christian rituals. Instead, they insisted that the family bury the body using traditional Adivasi customs and traditions.
“We are Adivasis just like them, but they (villagers) don’t want us to go to church or follow the church’s ways. They want us to abide by the traditional [Adivasi] rules and customs. They said that if we leave Christianity, they will allow us to bury her. This problem is rampant in every village here now,” Manupotai, 18, Sunita’s elder brother told The Wire.
Sunita was finally buried late on Thursday evening (November 2), far away from her village at a burial ground near the Narayanpur district centre. The Brehebeda village is located about 10 kilometres away from the district centre, which is deep inside a forest.
Just like Manupotai and Sunita, many people in the Adivasi-dominated Bastar region have converted to Christianity. However, these people have been facing increasing attacks from other villagers, some of whom are backed by Hindutva groups. They equate Adivasi customs and traditions with the Hindu religion, and therefore, prohibit non-Hindu practices.
“If the government changes (after these elections), it will be good if they listen to everyone. All we want from this election is the manner in which the government supports everyone else, they should support us as well and listen to our problems. We have rights but we are not getting them in our villages. They should ensure our rights,” Manupotai said.
Describing the day of the attack, Devasia said, “The police told me that there was a meeting, so don’t come out of the premises. They came near the church and started pelting stones. They were chanting in Gondi maaro [hit] and barged into the church. About 200-300 people entered the church, but at least a thousand were standing outside the gate. All the teachers and I gathered the children with the help of the police and let them out to their parents from the field behind the church. The children did not have to see any of the violence.”
He said that his church, which falls under the Jagdalpur Diocese, has been providing services to hospitals and schools for over five decades in seven districts. However, during this period, he has never seen any violence.
“We have nothing to do with politics. We are here only to spread education through our schools and help people through our hospitals. It doesn’t matter to us which party is in power, whether it is the BJP or the Congress,” he said.
However, away from the district centre and inside Narayanpur’s villages in the dense forest areas, villagers are paying the price for their faith.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .