In India, the homes of Christian families are destroyed for refusing to deny Christ

In the Indian state of Maharashtra, in the village of Midapalli, four Christian families lost their homes, which were demolished by neighbors after they refused to renounce their faith. The local police reportedly not only failed to help the victims, but also sided with the persecutors. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is calling on government authorities to urgently intervene in the situation.

According to Christian Today, the incident began on January 11 when villagers demanded that Christians renounce their faith, threatening to kill them otherwise. The next day, January 12, about 20 people gathered in a mob and demolished the homes of Christian families. When the victims went to the police on January 13, the policemen sided with the persecutors, threatening the Christians with the revocation of their unique identification cards and food rations. The police also asked why the tribal members had chosen to follow Christianity. Upon seeing the official police response, the villagers renewed their death threats against their Christian neighbors.

Having denied the Christians any official support, the police then continued to deny them assistance. on January 14, they summoned a local pastor for questioning, calling his sermons «superstition» and banning him from visiting families in the village.

Currently, some 25 Christians in the village are forced to endure the harsh winter months in the ruins of their homes. They plan to appeal to higher authorities by contacting the district collector.

Mervyn Thomas, founder and president of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, expressed deep concern about the situation, «It is deeply disturbing to witness the serious and unacceptable violence and humiliation these families have suffered because of their religion.» He added: «Even more disturbing is the failure of the police to protect these vulnerable citizens, which has given courage to the perpetrators.» CSW calls on the district administration and state authorities to urgently intervene by ensuring the safety of the affected families, restoring their rights, compensating them for the loss of their homes and prosecuting the perpetrators in accordance with the law.

Recall that according to the annual World Watch List 2026 (WWL) report published by Open Doors, North Korea is the most dangerous country in the world for Christians while Nigeria is recognized as the deadliest. The annual report also indicates that the number of Christians experiencing high levels of persecution for their faith has risen to 388 million in the last year — an increase of 8 million from the previous WWL. These figures mean that one in seven Christians worldwide, two in five in Asia and one in five in Africa face persecution.