Poor Christian families from tribal and Dalit communities in Odisha are being denied the right to practice their faith or bury their dead with dignity, according to a new report by a legal rights group.
The Odisha Lawyers Forum, which conducted a fact-finding mission in the state’s Nabarangpur district, documented a disturbing trend of Christian funerals being disrupted or forcibly altered by local Hindu mobs. The group’s May 14 report, Freedom to Be Buried: A New Struggle for Christians in Odisha, outlines several incidents that they say violate India's constitutionally protected freedoms of religion and human dignity.
One of the most harrowing accounts involves 20-year-old Saravan Gond, a Protestant Christian who died in a work-related accident in Mumbai on April 15. When his family returned his body to their village of Melbeda for burial, a group of Hindu villagers reportedly blocked them from using the community burial ground unless they converted to Hinduism.
Saravan’s father, Ramachandra Gond, tried seeking help from local police and administrative officers, but the mob warned them not to interfere, insisting Christians had no burial rights in the village. Eventually, the family buried Saravan on their own land, but mourners were attacked during the funeral. According to the report, women were chased, assaulted, and stripped by the crowd.
The next day, about 150 people returned, threatening the family in front of police officers, demanding they renounce Christianity. The grieving relatives were forced to sign blank documents and dig up the body under duress. What happened to Saravan’s remains afterward remains unclear.
“We were told by some villagers that the body was burned according to Hindu rites,” said Father Ajay Singh, a human rights lawyer who was part of the investigation team. A police complaint was filed on April 28, but no action has been taken, he told UCA News.
Similar incidents have taken place in nearby villages. In October 2024, the body of 27-year-old Madhu Harijan, a Dalit Christian from Menjar village, was allegedly subjected to a forced “conversion” ritual before being buried. His family was told the burial could only happen if he was buried as a Hindu.
“The family gave in under pressure,” said Singh. “His funeral lacked the dignity and prayers that are part of Christian traditions.” Police and local authorities reportedly ignored the family’s pleas for help.
Eight Christian families in Menjar now live in fear, the report says. The village has a population of over 1,200, based on the 2011 census.
Another case documented by the report involved Chandra Harijan, a 73-year-old Dalit Christian from Suruguda village. In November 2023, his wife was coerced into allowing Hindu rituals over her husband's body so that he could be buried in the village grounds. Although she remains a Christian privately, the experience has left her shaken.
“What will happen when the next Christian dies?” one local asked the fact-finding team.
The Odisha Lawyers Forum concluded that basic constitutional rights—including the right to religious freedom, legal protection, and a dignified burial—are being systematically denied to Christian minorities in the region. The group urged immediate government intervention to uphold the rule of law and ensure equal rights for all citizens, regardless of their faith.
Rewritten version of the original article from UCA News.
