Pastor Jose Thomas and his family, residing in Kawardha district of Chhattisgarh, have been forced into hiding after constant harassment by members of the Hindutva organisation – Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
On May 18, a mob led by leaders of Bajrang Dal and VHP stormed into a church service, alleging religious conversion. They shouted slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and assaulted the people present inside. Fearing them, a few minor girls tried to hide in the bathrooms, but they too were allegedly harassed by the mob. Pastor Thomas uploaded the assault video on his Instagram page.
Pastor Thomas has denied the claims of religious conversions, stating that they have been worshipping at the church for the last three decades.
However, instead of arresting the attackers, Pastor Jose Thomas was apprehended. Further, no FIR have been lodged so far against the attackers despite video evidence.
Allegations of forced conversions
This is not an isolated incident. The family has been targeted and harassed for a long time. Back in 2010, Pastor Jose Thomas had been arrested and jailed for 10 days on the charges of ‘forceful conversion’ but was later acquitted by a local court due to lack of evidence.
The family, originally from Kerala, has been living in Chhattisgarh for the past 35 years. They run a school called the Holy Kingdom English Higher Secondary School in Kawardha. Jose Thomas, in a video on his Instagram page, says that many qualified people like doctors, engineers, chartered accountants and civil judges have passed out from their school.
However, they are regularly harassed by political leaders on matters related to school fees and face threats of shutting the school down. One such incident occurred on April 29 when Jose Thomas received a call from BJP leader Rajendra Chandravanshi, demanding that he issue a TC (transfer certificate) for the children of Sushil Shinde.
Jose Thomas informed that no application had been given for the issuance of the TC and that the students had pending fees for two years. Later, he was also asked by a police official to issue the TC. He wrote a letter explaining the fee issue and submitted it to the Police Superintendent’s office.
The matter then escalated and right-wing group leaders started harassing the family, saying they would spread a story of their ‘forced conversions’ with the local media. The family, giving in to the pressure, finally issued the TC. However, they were still subject to a violent attack in the church on May 18.
Jose Thomas has uploaded videos on his Instagram narrating their plight and has appealed to stop the persecution of his family.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Veena Nair | 
