By Syed Affan
Bhubaneshwar, Odisha: Budai Harijan’s voice faltered, as she recounted how she was forced to abandon Christian rites for her husband’s funeral. “They converted his body to Hinduism,” Budai told Article 14, recounting how a mob of 30-40 people performed a “shuddhi” (purification) ritual.
Madhu Harijan, 27, a Christian from Menjar village in south Odisha’s Nabarangpur district, died on 22 October 2024 at the district government hospital. When the corpse was brought back to Menjar, a village with eight Dalit and tribal Christian families amid a predominantly Hindu and non-Christian tribal population of about 2,000 people, non-Christian residents opposed his burial in the common graveyard.
According to Budai, they asked for the body to be “converted to Hinduism” as a precondition for burial.
Arun Suna, the Christian priest in the village, said when they complained to authorities, the Umerkote tehsildar said a burial could be arranged in a Christian-majority village instead.
The impasse lasted two days. As the body began to decompose, the family’s resolve broke and they yielded to the will of the Hindu villagers, they said.
“The coffin was cast aside,” said Suna. “Madhu’s body, wrapped in a mat and lashed to bamboo poles, was carried away from home without a prayer.”
This story was originally published in article-14.com. Read the full story here.