Pregnant Christian woman attacked, leaders urge President Murmu to intervene
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A group of Christian women leaders, along with religious heads and community representatives, have written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking urgent intervention against increasing violence targeting their community.
Their appeal comes in the wake of a brutal attack on a six-month pregnant tribal woman in Chhattisgarh, which led to her miscarriage.
On January 2, 2025, 25-year-old Kunika Kashyap was praying for a sick relative in Bade Bodal village, Bastar, Chhattisgarh, when she was attacked by village headman Ganga Ram Kashyap, his wife, and their adult daughter.
According to the letter sent to the president, the headman had been secretly recording her on his phone, suspecting she was engaging in Christian prayers. When Kunika objected, he reportedly reacted with violence, with his wife and daughter joining in. The attackers allegedly beat her with a bamboo stick and kicked her in the abdomen, chest, and head. She was later hospitalised with serious injuries and subsequently suffered a miscarriage.
Of the approximately 120 families in the village, 50 belong to the Christian faith, including Kunika and her husband, who have been practicing Christianity for over 20 years. The incident has sent shockwaves through the community, the letter stated.
The appeal to the president lists a series of similar incidents of violence against Christians in various states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Manipur. The situation in Manipur, it noted, has been particularly severe, with Christian women facing extreme violence since May 2023.
According to data from the United Christian Forum (UCF), 2024 recorded 834 incidents of violence against Christians, marking a rise from 734 in 2023.
Reports by journalist Omar Rashid have also documented cases where Hindutva activists falsely accused individuals from marginalised castes of religious conversions to Christianity. “These systematic attacks reflect a disturbing pattern of targeted violence that threatens the very existence of our community,” the letter stated.
The Christian leaders emphasised that despite the severity of these incidents, they have largely been ignored by political authorities, the judiciary, bureaucracy, and even civil society.
The appeal urged President Murmu to direct the judiciary, administration, and police to take swift action by investigating all reported cases of violence against Christians, providing protection to vulnerable Christian women, holding perpetrators accountable, and ensuring the implementation of constitutional safeguards.
The letter also highlighted that such violence directly violates India’s Constitution, which guarantees freedom of faith and human dignity.
On December 31, 2024, over 400 senior Christian leaders and 30 church groups had similarly appealed to President Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging them to address the growing violence against the community.