India: Mob drives out Christians from village

Some of the expelled Christians

Source: Open Doors

Fifteen Christians have been expelled from their village in India because of their faith by a mob of 2,000 people from their village and nearby villages.

The group had been threatened several times before and told that if they would not renounce their Christian faith they would face dire consequences. All of them were beaten, and one 22-year-old girl was beaten until she became unconscious. The mob taunted the Christians saying: “If your Jesus is alive ask him to heal her right now.” The girl eventually regained consciousness and all of them fled from the village.

All of the expelled Christians are now staying in a church in another village.

There has been a sharp rise in attacks against Christians in India because of their faith over the last few years. In 2015 Open Doors partners recorded 350 such attacks, in 2016 they recorded 800; hundreds of attacks have been recorded so far this year.

Despite being the world’s largest democracy, with a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and belief, extremism is thriving in India. The Indian government is led by the Hindu nationalist party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and turns a blind eye to attacks on minorities.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is a militant Hindu nationalist group linked with the BJP. Rajeshwar Singh, one of the leaders of this group, has stated on national media that the RSS will make India free of Christians and Muslims by 31 December 2021.

India is number 15 on the 2017 Open Doors World Watch List. Through local partners, Open Doors is supporting the church in India with emergency aid, advocacy support, holistic training, livelihood and community development, adult literacy programmes, and Bible distribution.