Hindus try and prevent burial of Christian man

Extremist Hindu nationalists in India are so hostile towards Christianity that they appear determined to persecute even the dead, latest reports from the country suggest.

A Christian man from the Indian state of Chhattisgarh died on 5 November. What followed next was a protracted struggle between Christians searching for to put certainly one of their very own to rest, and Hindu extremists exercising “deep-rooted prejudice”, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) reports.

The man who, who stays unnamed as a consequence of security concerns, died in his ancestral village of Kodekhursi, Kanker District. 

Despite his long standing connections to the town, local Hindus refused permission for the person to be buried inside the village boundaries and even in his family’s own plot of land.

The police refused to take motion, meaning he couldn’t be buried. In protest and as an appeal for motion, the person’s stays were placed outside the police station.

Local authorities still refused to uphold the rights of the Christian community and suggested that the person be buried elsewhere.

Taking this recommendation, the Christian community decided to take the body to a different town, Charama, for burial.

Even then nonetheless, the extremists weren’t placated. A funeral procession departed to Charama under police escort and for around a kilometre, the procession was chased by Hindu activists before eventually being dispersed. Due to the constant threats, the family ended up travelling nearly 200km to bury the person within the state capital of Raipur.

Mervyn Thomas, Founder President of CSW, is asking on the authorities to launch an inquiry.

“No family should ever be subjected to such humiliation and danger while carrying out a sacred final rite,” he said. 

“This incident exposes not only a deep-rooted prejudice but in addition a troubling pattern of administrative failure to guard the rights of India’s most vulnerable tribal Christian residents.

“We call on the state authorities to conduct an impartial enquiry into the matter and take concrete measures to safeguard the constitutional freedom of all communities, ensuring that nobody is denied the fundamental dignity of burying their family members.”