New Delhi: A Christian couple from Karnataka’s Bijapur was allegedly beaten up by a group of men for practicing their faith. They were warned of further violence if they continued with their faith.
The incident came to light after Vijayalakshmi and her husband Ashok Chavan, the victims, approached a local court to lodge their complaint. Police registered a first information report (FIR), based on the court’s order, under Sections 143, 147, 509, 323, 504, 506, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
“As per the constitution, I have the right to practice Christianity,” said Vijayalakshmi in her complaint. According to her, she has been facing harassment from a group of men, including abusive comments being hurled at her, threats to “ruin” her life and her family’s, and even being warned of getting her food security card, Aadhar Card, and other government documents cancelled. The men also threatened to get her fired from her job, she added.
The FIR named Ravi Darappa Lamani, Suresh Shivappa Lamani, Rajshekhar Lamani, Puneet Lamani, Parasu Ratnappa Lamani, and Dhanasing Lamani as accused. The attack on Vijayalakshmi and her husband took place a day after they were accused locally of “forced conversion” and a campaign was run against them on social media platforms locally and across Karnataka.
Vijaylaxmi is an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), a government-accredited community-level healthcare worker involved in raising awareness about basic healthcare by going door-to-door.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), an organisation working for the Christian community worldwide, reported that some villagers objected to a Christian woman entering their houses and threatened her family, attempting to get her fired from her job.
Following the forced conversion allegations, other Christians in the Uppaladinni area filed a complaint at the Basavana Bagewadi Municipal Police Station. This is not an isolated incident, as three other Christian families from Uppaladinni, attending the same church as Chavhan and his wife, have also faced harassment this month. On January 3, the community chief directed local utility services to cut off electricity and water supply for these families, publicly warning them that they would be killed if they continued to follow Jesus Christ.
CSW’s founder president, Mervyn Thomas, expressed concern, stated, “CSW is alarmed for the Christians in Uppaladinni who have been singled out, harassed, and attacked due to their beliefs. We urge the police to thoroughly investigate the perpetrators who assaulted Mr. and Mrs. Chavhan and ensure that all attackers are brought to justice. This is part of a growing trend of social hostility towards religious minorities across India that authorities must address urgently.”
In the previous year, over 300 churches were burnt down in India, and there were 525 attacks against Christians in just the first eight months of 2023.
Between 2012 and 2022, the recorded incidents increased fourfold. The first significant rise occurred in 2016, with 247 incidents detailed in the EFI report. This number continued to increase in the following years, reaching 505 incidents in 2021 and further rising to 599 in 2022.
According to the United Christian Forum (UCF) report, violence against Christians occurred in 23 states in 2023. Uttar Pradesh led with 155 incidents, followed by Chhattisgarh with 84, Jharkhand with 35, Haryana with 32, Madhya Pradesh with 21, Punjab with 12, Karnataka with 10, Bihar with 9, Jammu & Kashmir with 8, Gujarat with 7, Uttarakhand with 4, Tamil Nadu with 3, West Bengal with 3, Himachal Pradesh with 3, Maharashtra with 3, Odisha with 2, Delhi with 2, and Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, and Goa with one incident each.
