Fatal attack on Christian tribal woman, daughter sexually assaulted in Chhattisgarh

Raipur (Team Newsbuddy): In a horrifying incident on 15th July , a Christian tribal family in Kondagaon District, Chhattisgarh was viciously attacked by members of their own extended family, allegedly driven by a land dispute compounded by deep-rooted religious intolerance.

The accused launched a brutal assault on the victims (one woman and her daughters), while they were working in their field. Armed with an axe, spades, and wooden sticks, they mercilessly beat the woman, causing severe head injuries. Believing she had died, the attackers concealed her unconscious body under a heap of paddy straw in the field.

During the same attack, the perpetrators dragged the eldest daughter into a room near the field. There, they stripped her undergarments in an attempt to sexually assault her. Despite her injuries, the girl managed to escape and flee into the forest. She sustained injuries to her hand and shoulder and is now unable to lift her arm. Her sisters were also beaten and escaped to the forest for safety.

While hiding, the daughters managed to contact well-wishers, who rushed to their aid and took them to the police station. The victims informed the police that their mother had been killed and hidden in the straw heap, and that elder sister suffered brutal sexual assault.

Upon hearing their statements, police immediately rushed to the village. There, they found the woman still alive but in a critical condition, buried under the straw heap. She was immediately transported to the District Hospital in Kondagaon, and later referred to Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Medical College Hospital, Raipur for emergency treatment due to the severity of her injuries. Her daughter, who was sexually assaulted, was treated for her injuries in a government hospital.

A son of the main accused later surrendered to police and confessed to the crime.

FIR had been lodged in Police Station Dhanora vide No. 0013/ 15.07.2025, under following sections of BNS – 137(2), 87, 70(1), 115(2), 351(3), 109(1) and 3(5). All the four accused have been arrested and sent to jail.

This tragic violence was not only due to a family land dispute but also heavily fueled by hostility toward Christianity. The village, predominantly tribal, shows signs of growing religious intolerance.

The conflict originally began between two brothers— elder brother (died under suspicious circumstances in 2007) and his younger brother. After the death of his husband, the woman (victim of the aforementioned assault) was denied her rightful share of land. When this tribal woman accepted Christianity in 2017, the tension intensified. The accused allegedly used her faith as leverage, stating they would never allow her to claim the land unless she renounced Christianity.

This woman’s faith journey began after her children, a son and a daughter, endured prolonged illness. Despite consulting both doctors and traditional healers, their health deteriorated. Desperate, she took them to a local church for prayer, where both reportedly recovered completely. This healing experience led the woman and two of her daughters to accept Jesus Christ as their saviour. Since then, she has devoted her life to the Christian faith—a commitment that appears to have further provoked resentment among the accused.

A tense and disturbing situation is unfolding in and around the village where a meeting of the villagers was recently held with the intent to physically assault, evict, and ban the local pastor from area.

Local villagers from surrounding villages are allegedly uniting to drive out local pastor and his family, blaming him for informing others about this incident. They accuse him of :

•⁠ ⁠Helping the victim’s family report the incident to police.
•⁠ ⁠Facilitating medical treatment and documentation.
•⁠ ⁠Assisting in registering the FIR and pursuing justice.

Sources also report that representatives from nearby villages have met with the SP of Kondagaon, demanding the release of all those arrested in the case, except one, and are reportedly pressurising the police and administration.

Meanwhile members of Progressive Christian Alliance have demanded that the family is in urgent need of medical assistance, legal aid, trauma counselling, food and basic relief.

We demand that :
1.⁠ ⁠Conduct a swift, impartial investigation and ensure strict legal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
2.⁠ ⁠Provide immediate medical treatment and trauma counseling to the victims.
3.⁠ ⁠Guarantee security for the victims, their family, and loval pastor & family against threats and retaliation.
4.⁠ ⁠Investigate religious intolerance behind the attack and promote communal harmony.
5.⁠ ⁠Ensure legal aid, land rights, and basic relief such as food, shelter, and financial support to the affected family.

As per guidelines of the Supreme Court, identity of the sexually assaulted victim has been protected.