Christian mother beaten to death in India by mob looking for her son

Jardine Malado Thursday, December 08, 2016

Demonstrators shout slogans as they hold placards during a protest outside a church in New Delhi February 5, 2015. | Reuters/Anindito Mukherjee

A 55-year-old Christian mother in India was killed in a brutal attack by an angry mob who were looking for her son.

Samari Kasabi, a Christian from the village of Dokawaya, Chattisgarh, was stripped, beaten to death, and burnt by her neighbors. The mob was hunting down Kasabi's son, Sukura, 35, but they decided to kill her instead, Express reported.

While the motive remains unclear, it is feared that she was killed because of her faith. Other Christians in the area reportedly converted to Hinduism for fear of being attacked.

The village chief and several others have been arrested after Sukura reported his mother's death to the police in Sindgarh. However, the village chief was released without charge after two days.

According to the Christian charity Open Doors, the family had previously been abducted by the communist guerilla group known as the Naxalites because of their faith. They were later freed after they told the militants that they were only praying for the sick and needy in the village.

The militants have told other villagers that the family poses no threat, but the family said that they have been repeatedly harassed.

Sukura was pleased when Open Doors came to visit him in the remote village. "Since the day I came to faith no Christian leader from any place has visited us. This is the first time someone has come and prayed for us. Thank you so much," he said.

Attacks on Christians have risen in India since 2013. Conversion to Christianity is currently prohibited in five Indian states, and other states are expected to introduce a similar prohibition.

Open Doors has revealed that Christians are restricted and strictly monitored even in states where there are no anti-conversion laws in place. Those who converted from Hinduism often get registered as Hindus in the census. Christians also encounter difficulties holding weddings or baptisms, and even funerals are targeted by radical Hindus.

India is ranked 17th in Open Doors' World Watch List, which tracks and measures the extent of persecution of Christians worldwide.