Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Raipur (Agenzia Fides) – “This ruling is a fundamental step forward in protecting the dignity of the deceased and respecting the religious and cultural rights of Christian communities,” commented the ecumenical United Christian Forum (UCF) on the Supreme Court ruling that puts an end to the practice of illegal exhumation – the removal of the deceased from their graves – in Chhattisgarh. The court ruled that all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion, have the right to bury their dead in public cemeteries and emphasized the criminal consequences for those who oppose this right. The illegal exhumations were carried out by individuals who opposed the spread of Christianity in some villages in the southern part of the state and refused to tolerate the presence of deceased Christians. In December 2025, following a complaint by local lawyers and doctors, a court issued an injunction immediately halting the exhumation of bodies buried in Chhattisgarh. The complaint detailed the illegal exhumations and the horrific circumstances faced by Christian families in the affected villages, where their deceased relatives were forcibly removed from communal cemeteries. Cemeteries traditionally open to all villagers had been unofficially reserved for certain religious groups, effectively excluding Christians and forcing them to bury their dead up to 50 kilometers from their homes. The complaint also criticized the local police and authorities for failing to protect Christian families from this discrimination and called on the state to intervene to ensure communal cemeteries in order to maintain social and religious peace. “The court’s ruling is now clear, and the Chhattisgarh government must implement it to prevent further suffering for grieving families and to uphold constitutional rights,” said Michael Williams, President of the UCF, in a statement sent to Fides. The United Christian Forum recorded a total of 23 funeral-related incidents in 2025 and identified a “systematic pattern of intimidation, violence, and discrimination against members of Indigenous Christian communities.” (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 21/2/2026)
