Source: www.persecution.org
Date: July 18, 2024
A group of Christians meet together near their rebuilt church in Kandhamal. During the Summer of 2008, almost every church in the Kandhamal area was destroyed by Hindu nationalists aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP party, along with a local government mandate that made Christianity illegal during that time. Local Christian leaders report that there are twice as many churches in the area now as compared to 2008. Kandhamal, India. 2018. Photo: John Fredricks
India (International Christian Concern) — More than 35 Hindus attacked a house church on Sunday in Dehradun in the northern hill state of Uttarakhand, severely injuring the family that hosted the gathering and vandalizing the home.
The incident sparked anger among the Christian community in Uttarakhand, many of whom have called for church leaders to devise a course of action for addressing and protesting the increasing number of attacks on Christians in the state.
The attackers accused the homeowners of conducting a religious conversion program. They claimed they had received a complaint that a woman and her children had been forcefully converted to Christianity and that she had been kept in the house for two days.
The radical Hindus beat the Christian family, including a few women, and their destroyed property. Police eventually broke up the attack, and those injured received treatment at a local hospital.
Later, one of the Christian women who was attacked filed a complaint with police in which she named five of the alleged attackers. Police are also investigating 25 to 30 people who were allegedly involved in the attack.
The attackers also stole a laptop and other materials like Bibles and literature to allegedly show evidence that conversions were taking place in the home.
Located in the Himalayan region, the northern state of Uttarakhand is called Dev Bhoomi or “the land of gods.” It is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimage centers in the world. Originally a part of northwestern Uttar Pradesh, this region has been home to Christianity since 1624, especially since 1814.
Fundamentalist religious communities in this state have been involved in “purging campaigns” to rid the state of religious shrines of other minority faiths like Christianity and Islam and have openly destroyed structures of these faiths.