Church in Central India attacked by extremist mob
They kept coming. Men, women, young, old—protesters armed with rocks, iron rods and wooden sticks continued to gather as they walked toward 50-year-old Sacred Heart Church at Edka village in Narayanpur district. Our local partner in Central India just sent video footage of the local mob of 1,000 extremists attacking a church in India’s Chhattisgarh state. The attack occurred on January 2, 2023.
Reportedly, the mob was protesting “illegal” conversions and construction of churches. In the video above, you can see the mob throwing rocks and using sticks to bash in windows of the church building and church vehicles located in Narayanpur city.
Our local source shared a report from the area church leader:
“Dear sisters and brothers, it pains me to report the law and order situation has become very bad as Christians are being targeted and attacked. This afternoon, a crowd of 1,000 people came to attack the Narayanpur Catholic Church and have destroyed the church and presbytery. They are going to attack our other institutions.”
“A tense situation prevails here,” Father Jomon Devasia, the parish priest of Sacred Heart Church, told UCA News. “The mob destroyed everything, the church and the presbytery.”
UCA News cited “church sources,” explaining that the attack stems from non-Christian indigenous people insisting that Christians give up their faith and return to tribal practices. But Christians refused to renounce their faith.Reportedly, in the last few months more than 1,000 believers have been driven out of their homes near Narayanpur.