an Indian village by local animist worshippers for refusing to abandon their faith in Christ.
42-year-old Santosh Karmali was forced last Sunday, May 21, to sign an agreement with followers of ‘Sarna’, the collective name for animist tribal religions, in Dubalia village of Jharkhand state, forfeiting his family’s land, news reports said.
Karmali’s wife, Shiva Devi, was then attacked and had lime powder applied to her face, reported Compass Direct, a Christian news agency.
Villagers allegedly paraded her around the village and chased her, Karmali and sons Amar, Vikram and Preetam out of the village. Santosh Karmali’s parents apparently joined thousands of villagers in driving them out of Dubalia.
The family has been barred from the village so they do not “pollute the atmosphere of the village any more,” local Christians sources were quoted as saying. The Sarna samiti, a socio-religious committee of tribal peoples in Jharkhand, has reportedly taken possession of the land owned by Karmali.
SARNA RELIGION
The family had belonged to the Sarna tribal religion, which calls for worship of nature such as trees and rivers, but recently embraced Christianity.
Tribal leaders say they were bribed into accepting Christ and have reportedly threatened to warn all villagers that Christian missionaries and Christian schools "have the sole intention of converting the tribal people."
Last week, in what Christian leaders called "defiance of the state’s anti-conversion law against forcible conversions," some 24 Christians “reconverted” to Sarna at a ceremony organized by the animist group Sarna Sanatan Rakshak Samiti, Compass Direct said.
DEFENDING ACTIONS
Some Indian officials have defended these actions. Former Indian Minister of State for Environment Dilip Singh Judeo has reportedly said that he came "across many converted tribal people. A majority of them said that they were lured by the Western "glitterati" and wanted to come back to their original faith."
The All India Catholic Union however has condemned the violence against the Christian family and is reportedly exploring the possibility of taking legal action against Judeo and event organizers for violating the state anti-conversion law.
Christian church leaders say both animist and Hindu militants are concerned about the spread of Christianity and growing number of churches in especially rural areas of India. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from India).
