Hindu extremists pressuring Christians to reconvert, community living in fear
New Delhi: Hindu extremists are pressuring members of the Christian community, particularly marginalized tribal people, to renounce their faith and reconvert to Hinduism in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh state of India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) revealed that local Hindutva BJP leader Raja Ram Todem approached a Christian man who had embraced Christianity in the past after receiving medical assistance and forcibly compelled him to return to Hinduism. DW reported that this was part of a broader campaign targeting religious minorities in India.
The report also highlighted another incident in which a Christian man was denied the right by the local community to bury his father on ancestral land, forcing the family to carry out the burial in a distant area.
Local Christian pastors have warned that such actions by Hindu extremists are likely to heighten communal tensions in India and severely undermine the right to religious freedom. They added that fear and insecurity are rapidly growing within the Christian community, particularly in rural areas where they face heightened social pressure and threats.
