A Christian tribal woman and her three daughters suffered a vicious assault by members of their extended family in Khohadapara village on July 15, leaving the mother fighting for life in intensive care.
Chinta Dugga and his three sons attacked Shanti Dugga and her daughters while they worked in their field, using an axe, spades and wooden sticks. The assailants left Shanti unconscious under a heap of paddy straw, believing they had killed her.
During the same attack, the perpetrators dragged 22-year-old Lachhin Dugga into a nearby room, stripped her undergarments and attempted to sexually assault her. Despite sustaining injuries to her hand and shoulder, Lachhin managed to escape into the forest alongside her sisters Mukeswari, 20, and Radhika, 14.
Police discovered Shanti alive but in critical condition after her daughters contacted authorities from their forest hiding place. Officers rushed her to Kondagaon District Hospital before transferring her to Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital in Raipur for emergency treatment.
One of Chinta Dugga’s sons later surrendered to police, confessing: “I killed the woman. Arrest me and send me to jail.” Police detained four suspects, including Chinta Dugga, though authorities had not formally registered an FIR at the time of initial reports.
The violence stems from a bitter land dispute between two brothers that intensified after Shanti converted to Christianity in 2017. Her late husband Ghansu Dugga had died under suspicious circumstances in 2007, after which his family denied Shanti her rightful share of property.
The accused allegedly used Shanti’s faith as leverage, stating they would never allow her to claim the land unless she renounced Christianity. Shanti’s conversion followed her children’s recovery from prolonged illness after she took them to a local church for prayer.
A Christian leader from Jagdalpur, speaking with Christian Today, on condition of anonymity, said: “This attack has shaken all of us. People are scared to even go to church now. They beat this poor woman nearly to death just because she chose Christ? What kind of world are we living in?”
Medical reports from July 20 show Shanti remains in intensive care with six bone fractures across her chest and spine, severe head injuries with ongoing risk of internal bleeding, and signs of kidney and liver distress. Doctors describe her condition as life-threatening.
Lachhin received treatment at Community Hospital in Keshkal for her injuries, which have left her unable to lift her arm. Radhika has taken refuge at Pastor Hemant Kandhapan’s home for safety, while their brother Dikesh stays in a Jagdalpur hostel.
