By Rakhi Bose
Ulleshwari Kashyap, a resident of Ermur village in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, was six weeks pregnant and at home when the attack took place. At around 11 am on 29 December, a mob consisting of dozens of men from nearby villages descended upon the homes of Vishwasi (converted) Christians like her. A total of eight homes were reportedly targeted and looted.
“My husband and brother-in-law were out working in the farms. They broke into the Christian houses, including ours, and started assaulting the people,” Ulleshwari tells The Quint.
After sustaining injuries, Ulleshwari was taken to a nearby hospital near Kanker headquarters. By the time the family returned home, they found their door locked on the outside—and the property damaged. “We have been living in this village since 2007. We have not seen anything like this. Our own fellow villagers are against us,” Somaru Kashyap, Ulleshwari’s brother-in-law, recalls.
“All eight families, including women and children, spent two days outside the house, in the freezing December cold, without our belongings. Even then, people kept threatening us, saying we would only be allowed in the village if we do ‘ghar wapsi’ (reconvert).”
Somaru Kashyap
The families refused, and on 29 December itself, filed a written complaint with the Police Superintendent of Bastar district at Mardum thana, a copy of which has been accessed by The Quint. The complainants alleged that the attackers spat on the food prepared in the homes, and looted foodgrains, cattle, and poultry, along with other belongings.
While the families eventually broke the locks and returned home as the new year began, many of their belongings remained gone. “No arrests have been made in the case. We don’t think any action will be taken,” Somaru’s brother Raju Kashyap tells The Quint.
This story was originally published in thequint.com. Read the full story here.