A Christian family in India has been attacked and driven from their home after they refused to convert to Hinduism.
The incident occurred in the state of Chhattisgarh, where Vikram had been living for years with his wife and three children.
All this changed however on 16 June, when village leaders told Vikram that if his family did not renounce Christianity and embrace Hinduism, they would be exiled from the village.
When Vikram refused, he was told that he would be expelled from the village.
According to International Christian Concern (ICC), this pronouncement was then enforced by a mob of villagers.
The mob allegedly entered Vikram’s family home, threw food and personal property from the house into the street. Vikram’s three daughters were also abused by villagers.
According to the ICC, while the actions of the village elders lack legal sanction, there is increasing pressure from the governing Hindu nationalist BJP Party to make India a Hindu-only nation.
As such there are many attempts to convince or coerce Christians and other minorities to conduct the “Ghar Wapsi” ceremony to convert to Hinduism. The phrase means “homecoming”.
Violence and attacks such as those experienced by Vikram are becoming more common in India, particularly in Chhattisgarh.
Following the attack on his family Vikram, who is currently receiving aid from ICC, reported the incident to the police.
The police asked the village elders to accept Vikram back into the village, however took no further action when the elders refused.
Last month, five Christian families, also living in Chhattisgarh, were forced to flee their homes after a Hindu mob disrupted a Christian wedding.
The victims were told that Christian ceremonies were not permitted in the village, with attackers going so far as cutting off the families electricity supplies.
Chhattisgarh is one of 11 Indian states that has anti-conversion laws. In practice such laws are often used to prevent conversion away from Hinduism, while little action is taken when force is used to convert people into Hinduism.
