The family of a Christian man from India’s Chhattisgarh State who passed away on 5 November was denied the right to bury him in his ancestral village.
The individual, who has not been named for the security of his family, died in Kodekhursi, Kanker District, following a prolonged period of ill health. Following his death, village residents refused to permit his burial within village boundaries and on his own family’s plot.
When the family and local Christian community sought police intervention, officers declined to challenge the villagers’ stance, effectively preventing the burial from taking place. As threats and intimidation towards the family increased, the community placed the deceased’s remains in front of the police station to appeal for action. Christians from neighbouring areas travelled to Kodekhursi to support the family on 6 November, but the authorities still failed to provide a solution and advised the community to bury the body elsewhere.
In response, the Christian community decided to move the deceased’s body to the neighbouring town of Charama. The group expressed concerns about potential attacks on the journey, citing heightened hostility from right-wing Hindu nationalist groups in the area, and requested a police escort.
On 7 November the funeral procession, with police escort, attempted to travel to Charama, but was pursued by a hostile crowd for nearly one kilometre before the group eventually dispersed. Due to the attempts to intercept the procession, the entourage was forced to travel close to 200km to the state capital Raipur, where a dignified funeral service was finally conducted in a Christian cemetery.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW offers our condolences to this family and the Christian community of Kanker for their loss. No family should ever be subjected to such humiliation and danger while carrying out a sacred final rite. This incident exposes not only a deep-rooted prejudice but also a troubling pattern of administrative failure to protect the rights of India’s most vulnerable tribal Christian citizens. We call on the state authorities to conduct an impartial enquiry into the matter and take concrete measures to safeguard the constitutional freedom of all communities, ensuring that no one is denied the basic dignity of burying their loved ones.’