CHHATTISGARH, India — Church leaders in India have asked national and Chhattisgarh state officials to reverse a ban on non-Hindu religious activity that more than 50 villages have reportedly adopted.
The head of the Religious Liberty Commission of the Evangelical Fellowship of India wrote to officials July 10 that the bans in the Bastar District villages, including some that prohibit non-Hindus from entering the villages, could lead to large-scale persecution of Christians and other minority communities.
The resolutions were passed under the pretext of stopping alleged forcible conversions of Hindus. Belar village banned all non-Hindu activities in a council meeting July 6 after about a dozen villages adopted a similar resolution May 10 that included a ban on non-Hindu missionaries.
“To stop the forced conversion by some … religious campaigners and to prevent them from using derogatory language against Hindu deities and customs, the Sirisguda Gram Sabha [Village Council] bans religious activities such as prayers, meetings and propaganda of non-Hindu religions,” the resolution states.
Share with others: