Expressing serious concern over Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand incidents, the United Christian Forum warns of a “disturbing and recurring pattern” in which burial rites are violently contested.
NEW DELHI — Christian families in parts of central and eastern India are increasingly facing hostility even while burying their dead, with funerals turning into flashpoints of mob violence, forced exhumations and coercion, the United Christian Forum (UCF) said on Friday.
Expressing serious concern over recent incidents in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand, the pan-India Christian body warned of a “disturbing and recurring pattern” in which burial rites of tribal and Dalit Christians are being obstructed, politicised and violently contested.
Violence Over Burial in Chhattisgarh
The latest incident was reported on December 15 in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, where the father of Rajman Salam, an elected village sarpanch, was buried on family-owned farmland according to Christian rites — a customary practice in the region.
Soon after the burial, a large mob allegedly incited villagers, claiming that under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), the land belonged to a local deity and a Christian burial was therefore impermissible. They reportedly asserted that the body must be exhumed.
UCF said the episode reflects a larger trend. In November 2022, an elderly Christian woman, Chaitibai, from Krutola village in the same region, was denied burial in the village cemetery. Her family buried her on private land but villagers and local political figures allegedly tried to exhume the body. Police initially prevented the exhumation, but the body was later dug up by the police themselves and reburied elsewhere on district administration orders.
“These incidents show that even in death, Christian families are not spared intimidation and humiliation,” the forum stated.
Burials Turning Politically Charged
According to UCF, burial-related conflicts have risen sharply. In 2025 alone, the organisation documented 23 such incidents: 19 in Chhattisgarh, two in Jharkhand, and one each in Odisha and West Bengal. Around 40 cases were reported in 2024.
The forum said many tribal villages have no designated Christian burial grounds and that shared cemeteries, historically used by multiple communities, are now increasingly being treated as Hindu-only spaces. Where Christian-only graveyards exist, they are often located far away, forcing grieving families to transport bodies over long distances.
“Already shattered by loss, families are made to confront mobs, official inaction and impossible choices — abandon their faith or deny their loved ones a dignified burial,” UCF said.
Pressure to Renounce Faith
The forum cited several incidents to highlight the scale of the crisis.
In January 2025, villagers blocked the burial of Scheduled Caste Christian Ramesh Baghel in Chhattisgarh. After failing to secure relief from the high court, his family approached the Supreme Court but ultimately buried him outside the village.
In November 2025, villagers in Balod district refused to allow the burial of Raman Sahu, a Christian convert, insisting only “traditional” village rites could be used.
Weeks earlier, in Kanker, the body of another Christian man was reportedly turned away from multiple villages for three days.
In Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, the burial of 20-year-old Saravan Gond was blocked after his family refused to renounce Christianity. Despite the presence of officials, family members were assaulted and later forced to exhume the body themselves. The grave was vandalised and the family fled. The remains later disappeared, and no police action has been taken, UCF alleged.
In Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, villagers allegedly blocked the burial of 13-year-old Sunita unless her family abandoned Christianity. She was eventually buried nearly 10 km away, late in the evening.
In another Odisha case, a family was reportedly forced to publicly announce they were leaving Christianity before being allowed to bury an elderly relative. They later faced water and power cuts, and authorities issued a “breach of peace” notice against them rather than those accused of threats and coercion, UCF said.
Fears Over Tribal Identity
According to the forum, burial disputes are linked to wider campaigns seeking the removal of Scheduled Tribe status from tribal Christians. Groups such as the Janjati Suraksha Manch have organised rallies claiming religious conversion results in loss of “tribal identity”, though religion is not a criterion for tribal status under the Constitution.
“Many Adivasi Christians fear that being pushed into segregated Christian burial grounds will later be used to challenge their tribal status and demand their delisting,” UCF warned.
The organisation said burial conflicts reflect a broader rise in violence against Christians nationwide. UCF data shows incidents rising from 139 in 2014 to 834 in 2024 — an increase of more than 500 per cent. Over 700 cases have already been recorded in 2025 (January–November), with Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh accounting for nearly half.
Despite the scale of violence, accountability remains low. Of nearly 580 incidents recorded in 2025, only 45 FIRs were registered against alleged attackers, while 230 FIRs were filed against Christians themselves, many under anti-conversion laws, UCF said.
Calls for Urgent Govt Action
Calling the situation a “test of the State’s commitment to dignity, liberty and rule of law,” UCF urged Chhattisgarh and Odisha governments to take urgent corrective measures.
The organisation demanded compensation and rehabilitation for displaced tribal Christians, action against police officers who fail to respond to violence, and the creation of religion-neutral common graveyards in every local body.
“No family should face intimidation, assault or coercion at a moment of grief because of their faith,” the Forum said. “When the State allows mobs to decide who may bury their dead, it enables impunity — and denies citizens even peace in death.”
