New Delhi: A Christian couple from Bijapur in Karnataka were allegedly beaten up by a group of men for practicing their faith. They were warned of further violence if they continued their faith.
The incident came to light after Vijayalakshmi and her husband Ashok Chavan, the victims, approached a local court to file their complaint. The police registered a first information report (FIR), based on the court order, under sections 143, 147, 509, 323, 504, 506 and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“As per the constitution, I have the right to practice Christianity,” Vijayalakshmi said in her complaint. According to her, she was subjected to harassment by a group of men, including abusive comments made to her, threats to “ruin” her and her family’s lives, and she was even warned that she should get her food security card, Aadhar card, and others. canceled government documents. The men also threatened to have her fired from her job, she added.
The FIR has named Ravi Darappa Lamani, Suresh Shivappa Lamani, Rajshekhar Lamani, Puneet Lamani, Parasu Ratnappa Lamani and Dhanasing Lamani as accused. The attack on Vijayalakshmi and her husband came a day after they were accused locally of “forced conversion” and a campaign was waged against them on social media platforms locally and across Karnataka.
Vijaylaxmi is an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), a government-accredited community health worker involved in raising awareness about basic healthcare by going door to door.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an organization working for the Christian community around the world, reported that some villagers objected to a Christian woman entering their home and threatened her family, attempting to have her fired from her job .
Following the allegations of forced conversion, other Christians in the Uppaladinni area filed a complaint at the Basavana Bagewadi municipal police station. This is not an isolated incident, as three other Christian families in Uppaladinni, attending the same church as Chavhan and his wife, were also victims of harassment this month. On January 3, the community leader ordered local utilities to cut off electricity and water supplies to these families, publicly warning them that they would be killed if they continued to follow Jesus Christ.
CSW Founding President Mervyn Thomas expressed his concern and said: “CSW is alarmed for Christians in Uppaladinni who have been singled out, harassed and attacked because of their beliefs. We urge the police to fully investigate the perpetrators who attacked Mr. and Mrs. Chavhan and ensure that all attackers are brought to justice. This is part of a growing trend of social hostility towards religious minorities across India, which authorities urgently need to address.
The previous year, more than 300 churches were burned in India and 525 attacks on Christians took place in the first eight months of 2023.
Between 2012 and 2022, recorded incidents quadrupled. The first significant increase occurred in 2016, with 247 incidents detailed in the EFI report. This number continued to increase in subsequent years, reaching 505 incidents in 2021 and 599 in 2022.
According to the United Christian Forum (UCF) report, violence against Christians took place in 23 states in 2023. Uttar Pradesh leads with 155 incidents, followed by Chhattisgarh with 84, Jharkhand with 35, Haryana with 32, Madhya Pradesh with 21 and Punjab with 12., Karnataka with 10, Bihar with 9, Jammu and Kashmir with 8, Gujarat with 7, Uttarakhand with 4, Tamil Nadu with 3, West Bengal with 3, Himachal Pradesh with 3, Maharashtra with 3, Odisha with 2, Delhi with 2, and Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh and Goa with one incident each.
