(Barnabas Fund) — Seven Indian Christians were reported beaten, subjected to humiliating head tonsuring and forced to chant the Hindu affirmation “Jai Shri Ram” (victory to Lord Ram, a Hindu god also called Rama) when a mob of rod-wielding Hindu extremists stormed their tribal village in Jharkhand State on Sept. 16.
One of the victims recounted how around 26 Hindu males, armed with rods and sticks, entered Bherikudar village in Simdega district early in the morning. The extremists dragged him and six other Christian men to a neighboring village, slapping and beating them with sticks.
After demanding that the Christians chant “Jai Shri Ram,” the mob forced them to squat and have their heads tonsured (partially shaving the head is a Hindu symbol of religious devotion).
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