The Sovereign Lord is my strength
A dispute over the funeral of a tribal man in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh state, India, has escalated into widespread mob violence targeting Christians.
Chamru Ram Salam, who died in mid-December last year, followed traditional tribal beliefs during his lifetime. His family conducted the burial according to tribal customs. However, some villagers objected, claiming that the burial site was sacred land associated with the village’s guardian deity. They argued that the presence of Christian family members constituted an act of desecration.
As tensions intensified, police and administrative authorities exhumed the body on December 18, citing concerns over further violence. The family later alleged that the exhumation was carried out without the prior consent of immediate relatives. The deceased’s son, Rajman Salam, said authorities removed the body without explanation and did not inform the family of its whereabouts. Fearing for their safety, the family fled the village and only recently returned.
On December 20, the deceased’s brother, Ram Singh Salam, filed a petition with the Chhattisgarh High Court requesting the return of the body. In its submission to the court, local authorities stated that the deceased and some family members were Christians and that the body had been reburied in a Christian cemetery in Dhamtari. Rajman Salam rejected this claim, asserting that his father, brother, and mother did not practice Christianity.
Following the funeral, the dispute turned violent. On December 17, a group of about 150 pastors and Christian leaders who visited the family to offer condolences were attacked by a mob of more than 500 people armed with sticks and stones. The next day, approximately 3,000 people from 45 neighboring villages gathered, demanding the exhumation of the body and attacking the family and local Christians. Homes were damaged, and property was looted.
The mob set fire to Rajman Salam’s house before moving to a nearby church, where they vandalized the interior and burned Bibles. Two additional churches in neighboring villages were also set ablaze. About 150 Christians from Bedetevda village fled their homes, with some only recently beginning to return.
Local Christian leaders described the incident as evidence of escalating religious tensions in Chhattisgarh. They called for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible, stressing that such acts violate India’s constitutional guarantee of religious freedom.
Concerns have also been raised that pressure on religious minorities has increased since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power. International Christian watchdog Open Doors ranked India 12th on its 2026 World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.(Source: Morningstar News, Edited version)
The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.(Habakkuk 3:19, NIV)
God, we ask You to look upon the family of Rajman Salam, who are suffering violence and intimidation because they are Christians, and whose loved one’s body was exhumed without justice or proper accountability. Protect them and care for them in the midst of this injustice. Be with the small and vulnerable churches, and help them not to lose heart, but to continue walking forward by relying on You, who are their strength. Even when they face despair and pressure, we ask that You would not allow their joy and their deep assurance in You to be taken away. Through their lives, may people in this land who do not yet know You see the life of Jesus within them. Lead these souls to the gospel and grant them eternal salvation.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
