Christian leaders in Chhattisgarh are urging the government to launch an impartial investigation into recent claims that Christians are using social media to convert members of indigenous tribal communities.
The call follows a report published on 16 July in Swadesh, a Hindi-language daily, which alleged that Christians were targeting tribal people in the Bastar region through platforms like WhatsApp. The report claimed that personal data, including phone numbers, was being used to encourage religious conversion and accused Christians of luring young tribal girls into marriages under a scheme it described as “love jihad.”
Pastor Simon Digbal Tandi, coordinator of the Progressive Christian Alliance, strongly denied the claims. “These are completely unfounded allegations and appear to be part of a larger conspiracy,” he said on 21 July. “We are calling for a thorough and impartial investigation.”
Tandi believes the accusations aim to intimidate Christians and limit their online activities, especially as many continue to use social media to hold church services, prayer meetings and outreach since the Covid-19 lockdowns.
“The goal seems to be to push Christians off social media by spreading fear,” he said.
Archbishop Victor Henry Thakur of Raipur, the state capital, said the newspaper report was another example of a smear campaign driven by right-wing Hindu groups. He said that although Christians are frequently accused of forced or fraudulent conversions, no such claims have been proven.
“There is a clear pattern of targeting Christians,” he said. “The authorities often fail to act against those who attack Christians, and instead the victims are left without support.”
Pastor Moses Logan, president of the All India Christian Welfare Society, also issued a statement on 20 July criticising the Swadesh report as an attempt to damage the image of the Christian community. He echoed the call for a fair investigation.
Following the publication, police in the Bastar region stated that they would examine the claims. However, they have yet to respond to media inquiries about the progress of any investigation.
Christian leaders say that Hindu groups often view Christian missionaries as an obstacle to their goal of creating a Hindu-majority nation. According to the United Christian Forum, Chhattisgarh recorded 165 incidents of anti-Christian violence last year, the second highest of any state in the country.
Christians make up roughly 2% of Chhattisgarh’s population of 30 million, yet many continue to face threats, discrimination and false accusations because of their faith.
Adapted from UCA News.
