Christian Family Pressured to Abandon Burial Rites in Chhattisgarh Village

CHHATTISGARH, INDIA — A Christian family in India’s Chhattisgarh state was reportedly pressured into conducting Hindu funeral rites after villagers refused to permit the burial of their deceased relative according to her Christian faith.

Peonbai Sahu, a 55-year-old divorcee who lived with her brother in Nawagaon village, died Thursday, according to UCA News. Her family had reportedly practiced Christianity and participated in missionary work for approximately eight years.

The family intended to give Sahu a Christian burial, but residents objected, accusing the family of distancing itself from community traditions. Nawagaon, located in Dhamtari district, has an estimated population of 1,200.

Following hours of disagreement, the funeral was reportedly allowed to proceed only if the family accepted Hindu rites. Sahu was subsequently cremated, and her relatives participated in a “cleansing” ceremony at the village temple that was intended to bring them back into the community’s religious fold.

Local pastor Fr. Shibu Roy denounced the coercion as “the height of injustice.”

“Even the dead are not spared,” Roy said, adding that religious pressure against Christians has become increasingly common in the state. He also alleged that those who force vulnerable residents to participate in religious practices frequently avoid accountability.

The incident follows similar burial disputes reported in Chhattisgarh. In November 2025, two Christian families were allegedly prevented from burying relatives in their home villages unless Hindu customs were observed.

In one case in Kanker district, villagers blocked a family from burying a Christian man on privately owned land. After authorities allegedly declined to intervene, the body was placed outside a police station in protest. The family eventually traveled under police escort to Raipur—approximately 124 miles away—where the burial was conducted in a Christian cemetery.

Chhattisgarh, governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, has repeatedly drawn concern from Christian advocacy organizations over reports of intimidation, violence and restrictions on religious practice.

Christians constitute less than 2% of the state’s roughly 30 million residents. Open Doors ranks India No. 11 on its World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution, while more than a dozen Indian states reportedly enforce anti-conversion laws.

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