CSW is calling on authorities in India’s Chhattisgarh State to hold to account the perpetrators of a brutal attack on a group of over 60 Christians during a Sunday service in Sadrapal village, Sukma District on 31 May.
CSW sources report that members of a mob almost 100 villagers entered the church at around 9.30am and demanded that the congregants renounce their faith. When they refused, the mob proceeded to attack those gathered, including children and a pregnant woman.
Around 30 church members sustained injuries, while five were critically injured and taken to the Sukma District Hospital for treatment. However, CSW sources report that hospital staff initially refused to provide treatment until a First Information Report (FIR), which is required for the police to open an investigation, had been filed.
Sources further stated that when members of the Christian community first attempted to register a complaint regarding the attack, police refused to register an FIR, resulting in delays in medical treatment for some of those injured. An FIR was eventually registered on 5 June and those who sustained critical injuries were transferred to a nearby private hospital for further treatment. All have since been discharged and returned home. Twelve people were arrested on 7 June, but all were released three days later.
Sources further told CSW that Christians in Sadrapal village have faced longstanding discrimination. Many of the estimated 80 Christian families in the village have been denied access to village water sources for the past three years and have been forced to walk long distances to collect water from a nearby waterfall.
CSW’s Director of Advocacy Anna Lee Stangl said: ‘CSW is deeply concerned by this latest attack on Christians in Chhattisgarh, and particularly by claims that the hospital initially denied treatment to those who urgently needed it. We urge the relevant authorities to investigate these claims thoroughly and ensure that anyone who has participated in or supported this violence faces appropriate legal consequences. We also call on local law enforcement to take immediate measures to ensure that the Christians who will be directly affected are guaranteed protection.’