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Hindu mob attacks Christian women
Last week, about three dozen Hindus in the small Indian village of Kilapal, Jagatsinghpur, Orissa, raided the homes of local Christian women and their pastor.

"The villagers came and dragged us out of the house," victim Shanti Tandi wept as she described the attack to the ANI news service. "Then they started beating us and cut our hair. They also pulled at our clothes and accused us of indulging in religious conversion."

That's a conversion from Hinduism to Christianity seven years ago. Manorama reports that "problems cropped up recently when a young man and two daughters of a villager evinced interest in Christianity and attended Sunday worship."

"The other villagers warned us that if we did not reconvert, we would face dire consequences," Nisha Samal, another victim, told Indo-Asian News Service. "They forcibly tonsured us."

The women initially said that the police wouldn't record their complaints, says IANS, but eventually warrants were issued against 35 people in the village of 500 (about 40 percent of the village's population are Dalits, as are all of the victims). Two have been arrested so far.

"Earlier this month, six women, including two 15 year-old girls were dragged out of their homes and were later tortured and tonsured for not reconverting to Hinduism from Christianity," ANI reports.

About 20 Christian residents have since fled the town.

It's an insane incident, but in India such matters are almost always followed by Hindu militants claiming that the Christians brought it on themselves. Sure enough, Subash Chouhan, leader of the Bajrang Dal—which arguably could be called a terrorist organization, but we'll leave it at "Hindu extremist group"—told IANS that "the incident proved that Christians were converting poor Hindus to their religion 'through various inducements.'" Uh huh.

And the story gets even crazier. So crazy that Weblog simply doesn't understand this story from Sify News:

The tonsure episode … has taken a new twist with the police detaining the local pastor of the Christian congregation amidst claims that the priest along with four others had reconverted to Hinduism.

The pastor, Subash Samal, however, said at the Tirtol police station that he had been declared a Hindu against his wishes. Samal said that he along with four other Christians had been forcibly taken to the venue of a yagya being held at Uranda village near Manijanga yesterday. He was taken into custody around midnight last night.

"Some people had declared me as a reconvert to Hinduism against my wishes," he told PTI at the police station where he has been kept under detention since midnight last night. Lata Samal, one of the five reconverted persons, said that they were forcibly taken to the yagya.

Okay, here's a few clues: A yagya is apparently a Hindu worship ritual involving fire. Orissa has a law that no one can change religion without government approval. Other than that, Weblog doesn't get it. On what grounds are the police holding this pastor, especially if he says he's still a Christian?

As CT readers know, this is not an isolated incident. Fortunately others are also taking note. "Fear-stricken minority Christians from an impoverished central Indian tribal district which witnessed a spurt of communal violence last month, are urging the Indian government to take immediate steps to control the volatile situation," OneWorld reports in a summary of recent events.

In related news, militant Hindus "celebrated" Valentine's Day. Or rather, they attacked anyone and anything recognizing the holiday, which they believe is a form of Christian imperialism. Sify News offers several charming anecdotes sure to win many converts to hardline Hinduism: "One group caught a couple in a park at Bhopal and tonsured the head of the boy. The girl was allowed to go after some indecent comments and alleged fondling. … A disabled man has also been allegedly battered in Gwalior for selling greeting cards. He was beaten up, and his shop damaged. … Unidentified people threw acid on a youth sitting with a girl in a park in Ujjain town. The victim has been admitted to a private hospital, where his condition is said to be improving."

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February (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48