Beating in India Leaves Christian Family Divided, Separated from Children
A Christian couple in central India hasn’t seen their two young children in over a month because traditional tribal religion adherents forced them out of their village for refusing to renounce their faith.
In Gupanpal village, Sukma District, Chhattisgarh state, Aayatu Ram Podiyami, 35, was attacked twice for standing firm in his Christian faith.
Aayatu Podiyami successfully fled into the jungle both times, but his father, Mangu Ram Podiyami, who is not young and agile, could not escape the second attack.
“The mob stopped beating him after he passed out, and his assailants thought he was dead,” Aayatu Podiyami said.
Since seeking shelter on Feb. 12, he, his wife, and his father have not returned home. The couple’s daughters are 7 and 4 years old. Aayatu Podiyami is the sole surviving son among three siblings. His mother, younger brother’s widow and child, and older brother’s son also remain at his house.
His father was released from a government hospital after receiving care for critical injuries for 16 days, and he is still being treated at a private medical center.
“I still have pain in my chest and breathing difficulty,” Mangu Podiyami said.
Aayatu Podiyami has worked as a daily laborer to survive since the Feb. 12 assault.
Pressure to Recant
The village leaders govern both Gupanpal and another village. On Feb. 6, they summoned the two Christian families from Gupanpal and ten others from the other town and ordered them to renounce their faith in Christ or be expelled, Aayatu Podiyami said.
All 11 of the other Christian families returned to their animistic, tribal religion, he said.
“What have you decided?” the village head asked him. “Will you renounce your Christian faith or leave the village?”
Soon, a mob of about 100 people attacked the Christians with axes, knives, and sticks, he said. While Aayatu Podiyami fled to the jungle, his father locked himself in a room in their home.
Following a day and night of hiding in the jungle, Aayatu Podiyami reported the incident at Tongpal police station. On Feb. 8, officers summoned the village representatives to the police station and negotiated an agreement between residents and the village leaders, citing the individual right to religious freedom. No formal complaint was registered.
On the morning of Feb. 12, however, villagers gathered in front of Aayatu Podiyami’s house and repeated the request, questioning him six times. His reply was the same as before, and they told him to relocate to another village.
The mob then assaulted Aayatu Podiyami, he said. His wife and children somehow managed to free him from the assailants, and Aayatu Podiyami again fled toward the jungle.
“About 15-20 men chased me for almost a mile,” he said. “I ran as fast as possible while the men ran after me. I continued to run in the jungle as the men intently searched for me in the woods. I had foot sores for a week into the incident.”
Aayatu Podiyami hid in the jungle for several hours, shifting locations as he knew the villagers were hunting him.
