A joint team of public-spirited activists and Odisha Lawyers Forum visited Nabarangpur District in Odisha to investigate violations of the rights of Adivasi, Dalit and religious minorities. The team identified gross violations of the fundamental, constitutional, and human rights of the most vulnerable communities, particularly in terms of equality before the law, the right to freedom of expression, thought, belief, and association, as well as the right to life and dignified burial.

The team underscored several cases of exhuming the dead body and stealing/burning of a dead Christian, forceful conversion into Hinduism, conversion of a dead body into Hindu, and forceful burial in a forest and far away place, besides threatening the Christians. Importantly, the officials did not ensure the fundamental rights of the aggrieved citizens, resulting in a loss of confidence in the police and the officials, except in one case. Denial of access to the burial ground on the communal grounds to religious minority families belonging to Scheduled Tribes in the 5th schedule area of Odisha is a violation of tribal human rights and dignity.

The family of 20-year-old Saravan Gond, a tribal Christian from Melbeda village in Raighar block, has alleged violent harassment and religious coercion after his death during attempts to bury him in his native village.
Gond died on April 15 in Maharashtra while working for a borewell company. His body was brought back the next morning. However, tensions erupted when local villagers objected to his burial, allegedly demanding the family convert to Hinduism before using the common burial ground.

When the family refused, the situation turned violent. Despite the presence of local police and officials, villagers reportedly assaulted mourners, including Gond's mother and sister, during a private burial on family land. The crowd allegedly attempted to exhume the body and hurled caste- and religion-based slurs.

On April 17, around 150 villagers gathered and again threatened the family, demanding they renounce Christianity. That evening, after officials had left, relatives were allegedly forced to exhume the body. The grave was desecrated, and the family fled the village.

A formal complaint was lodged with Raighar Police on April 28. The family still does not know the whereabouts of Gond's remains. Police have yet to act, and the family says they remain unprotected and in fear.

Tensions over religious identity once again flared in Odisha's Nabarangpur district after the death of 85-year-old Keshav Santa, an Adivasi resident of Siunaguda village in Umerkote block. Though Keshav identified as Hindu, his sons are practising Christians—a fact that sparked conflict during his burial on March 2.

According to the family, Hindu villagers blocked the funeral procession and assaulted relatives, demanding the family reconvert to Hinduism to proceed with the burial. Despite intervention from the police and the local tehsildar the next day, no resolution was reached, and the family says they were forced to convert under pressure.

This was not the first time the Santa family had faced such hostility. In 2023, Keshav's son, Damu Santa, was denied burial in both the village's common ground and even on family land. Under pressure and without official support, the family was compelled to bury him over 15 km away in a forested area. A decade earlier, a similar dispute surrounded the burial of a nine-year-old family member.

On March 3, amid growing threats, family member Gangadhar Santa approached police. Instead of protecting the victims, officials reportedly enabled coercion. The family alleges that under the influence of local figure Purnachandra Bagh, they were forced to sign papers claiming they had converted to Hinduism. "We are forced to pretend we're Hindu in public while practicing our faith in secret," Tirpu Santa said.

Harassment continues for the two remaining Christian families in Siunaguda. A complaint filed on March 29 accuses villagers of threatening violence, cutting electricity, and restricting access to water. However, instead of acting on the allegations, police named the Christian complainants as "threats to public order" and issued them summons under various sections of the Bharatiya Nagarika Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

Adding to their fears, the families say they were recently warned not to hold Christian prayers. With no protection and increasing pressure, both the Tirpu and Gangadhar Santa families say they now fear for their lives and safety.

Sixty-year-old Domu Jani, a tribal Christian from the Paraja Adivasi community and a resident of Pondikote village under Papadahandi Police Station, died on October 28, 2024, but his burial was blocked for nearly two days by local Hindu villagers.

Despite the presence of senior police and administrative officials, the dominant Hindu population refused to allow the burial—either in the village's common ground or even on the family's private land. Officials reportedly failed to enforce constitutional protections or defuse the standoff.

The villagers demanded that Jani's widow, 54-year-old Shanti Jani, convert to Hinduism as a condition for allowing the burial. Shanti refused, holding firm to her Christian faith despite mounting pressure. Eventually, authorities arranged for the burial to take place about three kilometres away in a nearby forest.

Pondikote is home to around 40 Christian families, a small minority in a predominantly Hindu village. While the community had historically shared burial grounds, rising religious tensions have fractured these bonds. "This wasn't how things used to be," Shanti said, pointing out that the burial ground was once used peacefully by all.

Shanti's pain is further compounded by social isolation. Though her two daughters, who are Hindus, continue to visit her, they refuse to eat at her home—afraid of being ostracised by the village. She added that two Christian families have already reconverted to Hinduism due to the sustained hostility.

The family of 27-year-old Madhu Harijan, a Christian from Menjar village in Pujariguda Panchayat, was forced to forgo their religious funeral rites after facing intense pressure from dominant Hindu villagers. Madhu, who died on October 22 at the district government hospital, was denied burial in his native village because of his faith.

Menjar is home to just eight Christian families, surrounded by a predominantly Hindu population. When Madhu's body was brought back in a coffin, villagers objected and refused burial access. Despite multiple pleas and formal complaints, local police and officials who arrived at the scene took no decisive action.

For nearly two days, the body remained unburied. The family, heartbroken and desperate, repeatedly asked for a designated burial ground—a longstanding request the authorities had yet to address. Meanwhile, the Hindu villagers insisted the burial would only be allowed if Madhu was "converted to Hinduism."

As the body began to decompose and no alternative support came from officials, the family reluctantly agreed to the demand. The coffin was discarded, and the body was wrapped in a village mat, tied to bamboo poles, and buried without Christian prayers or rites.

"There was no final blessing, no dignity, no goodbye," said one relative. "We were not even allowed to grieve properly." Madhu's mother, Satai Harijan, and relative, Budhei Harijan, described the experience as humiliating and traumatic, not only for their family but for the entire Christian minority in the village. They expressed hope that no family—regardless of faith—would ever have to endure such a denial of dignity in death again.

The burial of 73-year-old Chandra Harijan, who passed away on November 3 in Suruguda village, Nandahandi block, became a flashpoint as dominant Hindu villagers refused to allow Christian funeral rites.

Chandra's wife, Jamuna Harijan, also a Christian, had wished to bury him according to their shared faith. But opposition came swiftly—from both Hindu villagers and some extended Hindu relatives—insisting the burial could only proceed if Chandra was treated as a Hindu. For over 24 hours, the body remained unburied as pressure mounted.

Suruguda has just 12 Christian families among a majority Dalit Hindu population. Feeling cornered and without support, Jamuna ultimately yielded to the demands. Chandra's body was buried under Hindu customs—despite his lifelong Christian faith. Jamuna continues to practice Christianity privately.

"These are not isolated incidents," said one community member. "We are being systematically silenced—even in death."

Jitu Batra (60), one of only two Adivasi Christians in the Hindu-majority Gulibodona village in Jharigoan block, passed away on October 28, 2022—but his family was denied the right to bury him in his own village.

According to relatives, Jitu had long faced pressure from Hindu villagers to convert. When he refused, tensions simmered beneath the surface. After his death, village leaders quickly announced that the common burial ground was reserved for Adivasi Hindus and barred his burial there.

Despite pleas from Jitu's family and involvement from local officials, the body remained unburied for over 24 hours. Instead of intervening, authorities searched for alternate sites. The situation deteriorated further when over 300 men from nearby villages arrived to block burial attempts—physically occupying roads and cremation grounds.

Every effort to find a compromise was met with resistance. Even when a new burial site was identified nearby, villagers stormed in to prevent the burial. Facing the decomposition of the body and growing hostility, officials transferred Jitu's remains to the morgue in Umerkote.

After two days of delay, humiliation, and assaults on family members, Jitu was finally buried—seven kilometres away in the Dalit cemetery at Bhatra, far from his ancestral land. "We buried him like an outsider," said a relative. "Not where he was born and belonged."

For Gulibodona's Christian families, the trauma continues. Reports of social boycotts, religious discrimination, and untouchability-like practices persist. Tube wells are washed before and after Christians use them. They are excluded from village meals and public events.

The death of 20-year-old Pushpanjali Bagh on September 9, 2022, in Umerkote town took a deeply distressing turn when her burial sparked communal tensions that paralysed the town for nearly a week.

Pushpanjali, daughter of Subash Bagh from Dongri Street, belonged to the Christian community but was not affiliated with the local JELC (Lutheran) Church. As a result, she was denied burial in the JELC cemetery. When the administration stepped in, it allocated an alternative site—but the land was marshy, inaccessible, and unfit for burial.

The family refused to bury her in such undignified conditions, and officials later admitted the site was unsuitable. A second location was hastily offered, but it too became a flashpoint. Hindu groups opposed the allotment of land for Christian burial, citing its proximity to a public road.
Tensions escalated quickly. Protesters blocked roads and called for town-wide strikes. Fearing a breakdown of law and order, the administration imposed Section 144, banning public gatherings. A lathi charge was eventually ordered to disperse the crowds.

It took five days of negotiations involving community leaders and senior officials before Pushpanjali could be laid to rest. But for the family and the Christian community, the damage was already done.

"We just wanted a peaceful burial," said a relative. "Instead, we were made to feel like intruders in our own town."

Nabarangpur district records the highest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) score in Odisha, with 59.31% of its population living below the poverty line, as per NITI Aayog's National Report, 2021. The MPI considers three equally weighted dimensions: health, education, and standard of living. Alarmingly, more than half the population is deprived of
basic necessities, including food, making Nabarangpur the most impoverished district in the state.

The district's combined deprived population is estimated at 71%. Illiteracy rates are particularly high among Scheduled Tribes, with 51% of the ST population being illiterate. Among Adivasi women, illiteracy has risen sharply to 72%, according to the 2011 Census. The burden of high illiteracy, combined with extreme poverty, has led the district to become a hotspot for superstitions and a lack of awareness regarding basic fundamental and constitutional rights and values.

All these incidents follow a disturbingly familiar pattern. When a Christian dies in a village or municipality, the grieving process is immediately
disrupted by hostility from Hindu groups.

As soon as the mourning begins, Hindu fundamentalists and local enforcers (touts) gather, declaring that the deceased cannot be buried in the common burial ground—or even on private family-owned land. Their justification is rooted in a toxic narrative: Christians "pollute" the village, and their dead become "untouchable". Unless the bereaved family converts to Hinduism or, at the very least, agrees to have the dead body "converted," burial is forbidden.

In such cases, violence or threats often ensue. When Christians seek help from police and administrative officials, those officials may visit the village but frequently fail to intervene effectively. In several incidents, officials have been seen allegedly siding with the aggressors, facilitating coerced conversions or suggesting that the family bury the body in remote forested areas or in distant villages with a Christian presence.

Families are prevented from grieving in peace, and the dignity of the dead is violated—often in the presence of police and government officials, who remain indifferent or passive despite their constitutional obligations.

In a revealing public statement, Mr Sunil Kumar Behera, district working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), acknowledged that such incidents are the result of a VHP campaign titled "Jago aur Jagao" (Awaken and Awaken Others). Speaking to the media, Mr Behera claimed that villagers have a right to deny burial to Christians because "they did not take permission from the villagers when they converted." He also said that during a meeting with the District Collector, the administration explained that "three types of Christians" exist and burial places are designated accordingly.

The issue is compounded by the fact that while Christians do have a few designated burial grounds in certain villages, common burial grounds have effectively become Hindu-only spaces, violating both customary 5th scheduled Areas traditions and constitutional rights. In Christian tradition, burials typically take place in the deceased's native village rather than in distant settlements. The administration's reliance on discriminatory logic for determining who gets burial rights is deeply concerning.

In the case of Raighar police, although they were aware of threats to deny burial, desecrate the body, and vandalise the burial site, they claimed ignorance when the body was exhumed. The police insisted they would act only upon receiving written complaints—a procedural
evasion in the face of blatant criminal activity. Video evidence exists of the culprits involved in assaults and vandalism, yet the local police have allegedly failed to identify or arrest the perpetrators. This inaction or collusion emboldens mobs to act with impunity, violating the right to a dignified burial, as enshrined in Articles 17, 19, 21, and 25 of the Constitution.

While Hinduism is the dominant religion, Christianity and Islam also have a presence, accounting for 2.63% and 0.55% of the population, respectively. The Christian population is even below the state average. There is a false alarm suggesting that religious minorities are a threat; rather, they should be seen as part of India's diverse heritage. However, vested interest groups portray them as a threat, undermining this diversity.

The state of trauma among religious minorities can be gauged from these representative statements: Visibly distressed and barely able to speak, a mother grieves, "My only son has died. We were compelled to sign an agreement to convert to Hinduism. We live in fear." A paternal aunt recounts, "Under duress, we signed the agreement. "A younger minor
sister states, "During this altercation, I was severely beaten and my clothes were torn. I felt humiliated and violated." A community leader adds, "A certain BJP leader incited violence by chanting, 'Kill them, kill them, kill those who dig the grave.'"

Except in two cases where written complaints were lodged — and that too with fear — no complaints have been filed with the police, although the aggrieved have sought their assistance. Several representations to the concerned tehsil have not yielded any outcome, allowing the situation and conflicts to linger.

Violence against minorities — particularly Christians — is not new to Odisha. However, the newer and increasingly widespread forms of atrocities by religious bigots, illiterate village touts, and dominant religious groups, often aided by political actors, are deeply concerning. These groups display a blatant disregard for religious minorities and legal authorities, violating several fundamental rights.

These violations include forceful conversions to Hinduism, threats of violence for practising Christianity, desecration of Christian dead bodies, denial and exhumation of burial sites, threats of ex-communication, social boycotts, electricity disconnections, and untouchability practices — all alarmingly rampant in Nabarangpur district.

The team could not find any civil society organisations actively taking note of these brutal incidents or facilitating the survivors in addressing their grievances or seeking justice. This may be due to ignorance or a trust deficit in statutory bodies such as the National/Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the Women's Commission, the National/Odisha State Human Rights Commission, the Scheduled Tribes Commission, and the National Commission for Minorities.

This is not just the story of just a few individuals but the broader story of Odisha—and India. The struggles of Gangadhar Santa in burying his father illustrate the deep personal cost of this discrimination. His father was not a Christian. His mother avoids religious identification and participates in both Christian and Hindu rituals.

One of his uncles, Tirpu Santa, is a practising Christian. When Tirpu sought to bury his father in 2025, he was coerced into renouncing his faith, signing an undertaking under pressure from a local tout allegedly working in tandem with the police. This coercion has fractured Tirpu's family, sowing fear and suspicion. He lives under constant threat, as do others in his community. His case is not just about burial—it is a test of
India's diversity, faith, and freedom. It is, fundamentally, a test of the Indian Constitution and the idea of India itself.