Christian woman brutally murdered in attack on family

A family that recently converted to Christianity was brutally attacked in Chhattisgarh, India, and one woman died.

On Monday, 22-year-old Bindu Sodhi and her family were preparing their field for rice sowing when they were attacked by a group of religious fanatics, including members of her extended family.

Sodhi’s mother, brother and younger sister escaped the attackers, but she herself was captured, stabbed multiple times and left in the field.

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Her family filed a police complaint, but sources said the case has not yet been officially registered. Sodhi’s body is still at the local morgue while her family awaits further investigation.

Christian leaders opposing the violence say atrocities against worshippers in Chhattisgarh state have reached alarming levels. They say police have taken no action against the killing of Christians but have arrested dozens of people who insisted on holding Sodhi’s funeral.

“We met with the police chief and were told he would look into it, but the horrifying reality is that Christians are being arrested every day,” said a local Christian activist. “The order to protect Christians has little to no effect. The situation is terrible.”

Sodhi’s death is one of many recent attacks on Christians in the area. On June 12, seven Christian families were attacked in a nearby village. In May, another Christian was beaten and stabbed to death and then buried by his attackers.

Local Christian leaders added that Hindu mobs accompanied by government officials surround known Christian areas and then attack them because they refuse to give up their faith. Many of those attacked were women and children, and one youth remains in hospital with injuries.

On June 24, hundreds of Christians led by the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum (CCF) staged a mass protest in response to the anti-Christian violence, demanding an end to Hindu fundamentalist attacks and police inaction.

Mob violence has been driven by the ideology of Hindutva, which seeks to make India a purely Hindu nation. Anti-Christian populism has added another element to Hindu extremism, leading to targeted violence and displacement. In 2023, organized mob violence against Christian tribes left hundreds dead and more than 200 wiped out.

Less than 2 percent of the 25 million inhabitants of the state of Chhattisgarh are Christians.