Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has raised concerns in regards to the apparent lack of interest within the religious motivation behind the brutal murder of three members of a Christian family in India.
Jitendra Soren, his wife Malati and their 15-year-old daughter were murdered on 25 January, allegedly by members of their clan who objected to their conversion to Christianity.
The Soren family, who lived within the village of Nialijharan, Odisha state, converted around a 12 months ago. In the weeks leading as much as the murder relations reportedly issued death threats, saying that if the Sorens continued going to church they might be killed. They also accused the Sorens of practising black magic.
On the day of the murders, Jitendra Soren’s brothers and nephews turned up at their house and repeated the accusations of black magic. They also alleged that other relations were having health problems resulting from the Soren’s church attendance.
Mr Soren denied such claims and was pushed to the bottom. His daughter tried to intervene but was killed by a blow from an axe. Mrs Soren was also killed while trying to save lots of her daughter. Mr Soren was killed while attempting to flee.
A younger daughter managed to flee the attack. The Sorens also had an older daughter, who’s married, and a son who was away studying. The surviving family members are currently in hiding with a family friend.
Police have filed a First Information Report, which is required for an investigation to start, but have characterised the incident as a dispute over land, moderately than an act of anti-Christian bigotry.
Mervyn Thomas, founder and president of CSW, said, “The brutal murder of Jitendra Soren, his wife Malati, and their young daughter is a chilling reminder of the acute vulnerability faced by religious minorities in Odisha and across India.
“To dismiss this horrific act as a mere land dispute is just not only a distortion of the facts but a profound injustice to the survivors who witnessed their family being targeted for his or her faith.
“CSW calls upon the authorities to make sure that the First Information Report accurately reflects the anti-Christian animus and the false allegations of black magic that fuelled this attack. Justice can’t be served if the motive is obscured.”
He called on the federal government to “act immediately” to guard the surviving children and “address the rising tide of intolerance that continues to assert lives in tribal communities”.
He added, “India cannot allow a culture of impunity to take root where changing one’s faith becomes a death sentence.”
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