Church demolished in Chhattisgarh over encroachment accusations

The demolition took place after a public threat by BJP leader Anshu Tuneja where he accused of religious conversion taking place.

A building that was formerly a church was demolished in Chhattisgarh’s Raigarh district. The demolition took place after a public threat by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anshu Tuneja on December 29 where he accused the religious structure was illegally constructed on an encroached land.

The demolition took place on January 8 but came to light on Monday, January 12. The building was completely destroyed by a bulldozer, leaving only rubble.

Apart from accusations of encroachment, Tuneja also alleged the Christian community of that area was engaged in religious conversion. He issued an ultimatum to the church authorities demanding the building g be removed in three days, and if not done, he would personally come with his team to demolish it.

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Fearing attacks, the church members vacated the building. Tuneja later converted it into a Shri Ram community center.

The local Christian community had expressed concern over the threats with church representatives denying no illegal activities were done, stating it served as a place of worship for locals.

On multiple occasions, Tuteja has been reported leading mob protests outside Christian properties. On December 8, he raided a prayer meeting at a Christian household in Raigarh, harassing the attendees and making accusations of mass religious conversion.

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Rise of violence against Christians

In 2014, when Modi took over as the Indian Prime Minister, the reported cases of violence against Christians were 127. This has significantly risen to 745 as of November 2024, according to the data from the Evangelical Fellowship of India and the United Christian Forum (UCF). 

Uttar Pradesh has been leading in the persecution of Christians with 182 cases reported this year followed by Chhattisgarh with 139 cases.

Amid the rising attacks on the Christian community, more than 420 Christian leaders and 30 church organizations have issued an urgent appeal to the President of India Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging immediate intervention.

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