Maharashtra state have lodged an official complaint of sexual assault carried out by hard-line Hindu villagers, a Christian news agency reported Tuesday, June 21.
Compass Direct said the troubles began in the village of Jamanya in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district, after the families refused to give up their faith in Christ as demanded by a community court on May 15. "On the following day, a group of Hindu villagers beat up the men and sexually molested their wives and daughters," an official told Compass Direct.
"When one wife came to save her husband who was being beaten up, [villager] Sattarsingh Barela abused her, using the filthiest possible language, and pushed her with a stick on her private part," the news agency quoted Pastor Sarichand Chauhan, area coordinator of the Indian Evangelical Team (IET) group, as saying.
"The attackers hit another woman with a stick in her upper thighs and waist. Although she had difficulty in walking, she had to flee with her whole family to a nearby jungle for fear of further attacks," he reportedly added.
The villagers allegedly also "slapped a 16-year-old girl several times, due to which her face was severely swollen and she was not able to wash her face for many days. They said to each other that they could do whatever they liked with the Christian women as nobody would come to save them," Pastor Chauhan explained, according to Compass Direct. "While beating up yet another woman, a widow, they said that five of them could rape her because she was a widow."
POLICE DENIAL
In addition the attackers apparently tried to disrobe some of the women. There was no immediate independent confirmation of the incident, but Compass Direct is known to have close contacts with persecuted Christians in the region.
Chauhan complained that although Christians had informed local police about these incidents they "did not record the alleged sexual assaults, and later denied that any such incidents had occurred."
"There was no sexual assault on the women during the attack," Constable Yogesh Patil of the Yawal Police Station told Compass Direct. “We have not used any section of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deals with sexual assault in the [complaint] lodged against the Hindus,” he reportedly claimed.
WOMEN STATEMENTS
Chauhan has meanwhile asked the women to write statements detailing the abuse. When the Christians lodged an official complaint, the whole village reportedly turned against them.
"On June 12, a group of Hindu villagers from Jamanya village led by Moti Juga Patel held a meeting with villagers of nine neighboring villages. They asked them to socially ostracize the Christian families," Chauhan told Compass Direct.
"Christians can no longer collect water from common wells or buy food from the shops. Declaring the Christian community as lower castes or untouchables, these Hindus have instructed the Christians not to enter any house belonging to a Hindu family," he added.
When seven Hindus were arrested on May 18 in connection with the attack on May 16, a counter complaint was lodged against the Christians, accusing them of desecrating Hindu gods. Thirteen Christians were arrested that same day under sections 295, 506 and 34 of the IPC.
CHRISTIANS RELEASED
Ten of the accused Christians were released on bail on May 24, Compass Direct said adding that three minors were held in a remand home for 8 days and released on bail on June 2. The news agency identified the three minors as Suresh Ransingh Barela, 12, Suresh Sahmal, 14, and Kiran Resla Barela, 16.
Another Christian, Garubindya Barela, was reportedly arrested on May 26 but released on bail the same day. The seven accused Hindus have also been released on bail.
Chauhan rejected the claim that Christians had desecrated Hindu idols. "It was only after the arrests that these idols were broken,” he said. “I overheard some villagers saying that when members of the local Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) [a Hindu nationalist group] heard about the arrest of the Hindus, they asked local villagers to break the idols and accuse the Christians."
The Christian Legal Association of India is providing legal aid for the Christian families. The Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, an RSS affiliate that works among tribal groups, is assisting the Hindu villagers, Compass Direct said. Human rights groups say there are a growing number of attacks against Christians, especially in rural areas of India. (With BosNewsLife Research, Compass Direct and reports from India)
