Christian family in Balandabandi village of Jajpur, Odisha, kicked out by their very own family and denied access to their family house because of their faith in Jesus Christ.
Jagu Purti, his wife and son accepted Christ in 2016 and after the three were baptized, their family started to show unusual behaviour.
Jagu's father and brother threatened him to renounce his faith, but he chose to follow Christ and eventually left the family, leaving behind everything he had.
Unable to endure the separation, Jagu's mother called Jagu and his family to return home.
The villagers wondered why Jagu's family returned to the village without recanting their faith. They abused the family and pressurized them to recant their faith. The family was once again forced to leave their home.
When Christmas neared, Jagu's family returned to the village and requested the villagers to allow them to take some of their old belongings that were left behind. But the neighbors taunted them and said to them, "the God you believe in, if he is true, then he will provide you these things." With nothing to take back, Jagu returned home disappointed.
Like Jagu, four other families in Telibari village are facing social boycott because of their faith. They are denied primary sources and banned from working in government-provided day laborer jobs like school and village road construction.
Because of discrimination and lack of community support and acceptance, the Christian families are forced to leave their village and travel to a distance place to find job and take care of their families.
