Over 30 Christians injured in attack by Hindu nationalists wielding axes

( Christian Post )

More than 30 Christians were injured when a mob attacked a prayer gathering in India’s Odisha state, and local residents say no arrests have been made nearly two weeks after the incident.

At least 20 people suffered serious injuries and were hospitalized following the assault, which local leaders alleged was carried out by Hindu nationalist groups.

The attack took place in Kotamateru village of Malkangiri district on June 21, when around 20 farming Christian families had assembled to bless seeds before the planting season. Nearly 400 people from nearby villages stormed the area with weapons, including axes, and began what appeared to be a coordinated assault, according to the rights group Christian Solidarity International.

The U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported that the attack targeted Christians from three different villages who were eating lunch together. Victims were beaten with sticks and sharp objects.

Local police have offered a different explanation.

Rigan Kinda, an inspector with Malkangiri Police Station, told the Indian newspaper The Telegraph that the violence resulted from a dispute between two brothers, one a Christian and the other a Hindu. He claimed the Christian group was questioned about their faith, which escalated into violence.

Christian leaders have rejected the police version.

They alleged that the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu nationalist group, orchestrated the attack. Bajrang Dal district leader Sibapada Mirdha denied any involvement but said there was growing resistance among Hindus to what they saw as religious conversions by Christians. He added that “sometimes there is a spontaneous reaction to this,” according to the Telegraph.

A local pastor told CSI that threats against Christians have increased since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party formed the state government in Odisha in June 2024. The pastor described being unable to leave his home for work because of repeated threats, and pointed to a video circulating on social media where a Hindu nationalist leader warned Christians of consequences if they continued converting people.

Representatives from Christian organizations including Rashtriya Christian Morcha (National Christian Forum), Malkangiri District Christian Manch, Progressive Christian Alliance and Council of Evangelical Churches in India visited the victims. They also met with the district police chief to demand the immediate arrest of the perpetrators and raised questions about the lack of legal action, according to ICC.

A formal complaint was filed with the police, who registered charges related to causing hurt and unlawful confinement. However, a local source told CSI that the complaint did not invoke more serious provisions under the penal code. The source said charges such as attempted murder, as well as sections addressing religious hate crimes and disruptions to religious assemblies, were notably missing.

The Malkangiri Pastors Fellowship submitted a memorandum to the district police chief on June 23, calling for the establishment of a permanent police outpost in Kotamateru and surrounding villages.

No arrests had been made and police had not provided any security, according to CSI.

Bishop Pallab Kumar Lima, who leads the Odisha chapter of the Rashtriya Christian Morcha, described the aftermath as “a grave humanitarian crisis,” according to Catholic Connect. He urged the state government to provide relief and protection under the Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme.

Christian families in the region have reported rising levels of hostility in recent years.

Between March and April 2025, fact-finding teams recorded a sharp increase in anti-Christian violence across several Odisha districts, including Nabarangpur, Gajapati and Balasore. These included cases of denied burial rights, police violence and attacks during religious observances.

In one documented incident in Nabarangpur, the body of Saravan Gond, a young Christian man, was exhumed and taken away. His mother and sister were allegedly assaulted during the confrontation while police stood by, according to CSI.

The most extensive wave of violence in the state occurred in 2007 and 2008 in Kandhamal district, where more than 100 churches and 700 homes were burned following the December 2007 Christmas season. The situation worsened in August 2008 after the killing of Hindu leader Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, which was blamed on Christians. That violence left dozens dead and thousands displaced, and included reports of gang rape and forced conversions.