India: Seven Christian Families Are Homeless After Eviction by Hindu Nationalists
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Seven Christian families in eastern India’s Odisha state have been rendered homeless after Hindu nationalists pressured their village leaders to evict them for leaving Hinduism, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
In a statement to ICC, local church leader Pastor Digal (his name was changed for security reasons) said Hindu “fanatics” pressured the village elders to throw the Christian families and their belongings out into the Monsoon rains and to order them not to return to the village on pain of death.
“In Odisha, we now have the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holding the seat of power from June 2024 onwards,” Pastor Digal said. “Such incidents will increase now.”
In its report, ICC noted that Christians are allowed to stay in their Hindu-led villages provided they agree to give money for Hindu festivals and agree to worship the local gods and goddesses. “When they don’t, things turn violent,” ICC said.
The families contacted the police about their eviction and treatment, but no action was taken, ICC said.
Ruled by Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party for nearly 10 years, India ranks 11 on the Open Doors World Watch List 2024 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.
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