Members of the tribal Christian community in Kapena village, Nabarangpur district, were reportedly harassed and assaulted after Hindu villagers demanded the relocation of an 18-year-old church, alleging it was “obstructing” their religious activities.
Community members said a mob used loudspeakers to issue threats, warning that the church would be demolished and that about 30 tribal Christian families would be expelled if they continued holding prayers.
The Blessing Youth Mission Church, along with a nearby sacred grove, had stood in the village for nearly 18 years without incident. Tribals make up the majority of Kapena’s roughly 250 households, primarily from Gond, Bhatra, and Santa communities. Several families have converted to Christianity over the years.
Late on Sunday, two tribal Christian youths, John Santa, 20, and Jolandar Santa, 17, were allegedly summoned by villagers and beaten. They filed a complaint with Umerkote Police Station on Jan. 26, naming seven villagers, three of whom were reportedly involved in the attack.
Police subsequently visited Kapena, removed the lock from the church gate, and deployed personnel to guard the building, said Gourab Kauri, secretary of the Nabarangpur Christian Minority Council, according to UCA News.
Inspector-in-Charge Ramakant Sai of Umerkote Police Station told The Hindu that the Christian community had called authorities after feeling threatened by demands to move the church.
Senior district officials and police held a community meeting to defuse tensions. Sai said both sides agreed to maintain peace, and Christian leaders will decide within 15 days whether to relocate the church. Two police platoons remain stationed in the village as a precaution, especially ahead of a seven-day havan (yagna) planned for February.
Christians make up about 2.77% of Odisha’s population of 42 million, while Hindus and Indigenous communities together account for nearly 90%.
The incident comes amid a rise in attacks on Christians in Odisha. In Parjang, Dhenkanal district, a pastor was publicly humiliated and assaulted, prompting an FIR and arrests after complaints to senior police officials.
Reports of such attacks have raised concerns over increasing vigilante actions by Hindu groups against minority communities in the state.