Shivbaran Paswan of Bahlolpur Aelai village, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Morning Star News)
NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – A Dalit Christian in northern India is unable to return home after Hindu nationalists who beat, tonsured and paraded him on Dec. 27 threatened to kill him and filed charges of insulting them, sources said.
The Hindu nationalists also forced Shivbaran Paswan of Bahlolpur Aelai village in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur District to bow and sing of Hindu deities, he said. Paswan fled home on Jan. 2 after police insisted he present himself.
A Circle Officer and a police station in-charge had previously summoned Paswan, his wife and Hindu neighbor Shivpal to bring identification documents on Dec. 29, Paswan said.
“We were forcibly detained for three hours, and the police wouldn’t release us until I signed a blank paper,” said Paswan. “They threatened to send me to jail and demolish my house if I did not do as they said. I had no option but to comply.”
The trio had to walk three miles back home as no public transport was available in the middle of the night after the police released them.
After a Hindu mob on Dec. 27 baselessly accused the 46-year-old Paswan of forcible conversion and abused him, they left him with such warnings as, “We only beat you and tonsured you this time, but if you continue to preach the gospel, we will not assault you next time – we will kill you,” according to Paswan.
The morning of Dec. 26 Paswan had left home to visit a doctor treating his 13-year-old son for a stomach ailment when Rohit Dixit, a member of the Hindu right-wing Bajrang Dal, noticed his departure. Paswan’s son overheard Dixit telling others in the village that he would “teach him a lesson” and assault him upon his return and immediately alerted his mother.
Paswan’s wife confronted Dixit, explaining that Paswan had only gone to meet the doctor and obtain medicines for their son. When Paswan returned the next morning (Dec. 27), he found about 50 people outside his home waiting for him.
After he had entered the house and Dixit summoned him to come outside, several members of the mob began hurling accusations at him, claiming he had visited nearby villages to preach about Christ.
“I showed the mob the medicines the doctor had given for my son and my train tickets for both journeys, but the Hindu extremists refused to listen,” Paswan said. “They said, ‘We don’t want to see your proofs’” and assaulted him with wooden sticks. “I was kicked, pulled, and pushed from every direction. They beat me mercilessly.”
When Paswan’s wife and son attempted to rescue him, the mob beat them as well. His wife sustained internal injuries, and his son’s hand was injured from being struck with a stick.
The Hindu neighbor who goes only by his first name, Shivpal, intervened and urged the mob to contact the police if they had grievances against Paswan. The mob turned on Shivpal and began attacking him as well.
“I feel so sorry for Shivpal, who sustained several injuries while trying to save my life,” said Paswan.
The mob then dragged Paswan to a nearby Hindu temple, where they forcibly tonsured him, leaving only a tuft of hair on his head, he said. They compelled him to repeat slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram [Hail Lord Ram]!” while parading him throughout the village. They applied a traditional Hindu mark on his forehead and wrapped a saffron cloth around his neck.
“They constantly accused me of carrying out forceful conversions,” said Paswan.
They then took him to a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Hanuman 500 meters away and forced him kneel before the idol and touch the temple floor with his forehead, he said. They also forced him to recite a devotional hymn in praise of Hanuman. As they manhandled Paswan on his way back home, they issued the threats to kill him, he said.
During the assault and forced procession, the village head repeatedly called the Khaga police station, but officers did not respond.
“The police were hand-in-glove with the assaulters,” said Paswan. “The Hindu extremists had instructed the police not to respond to calls, so they ignored them.”
The police station in-charge visited Paswan at his house around 3 p.m., heard his account and asked what he wanted.
“‘I want justice,’ I told the officer,” Paswan said.
When the officer went to meet Shivpal, a Hindu extremist struck Shivpal in the face with his shoe in the officer’s presence, causing Shivpal’s eye to swell, according to Paswan.
Paswan, his wife and Shivpal were then taken to the police station to register a complaint against Dixit and the others.
“While we were at the police station, officers thoroughly searched our house looking for evidence such as a Bible or Christian literature to confiscate as proof, but they found nothing,” said Paswan.
They were sent to a clinic for medical examination.
“Our injuries were internal, and the doctor only focused on bruises – as we were wearing winter clothes, bruises were few, but internal injuries were numerous,” Paswan said.
When he attempted to file his complaint at the police station, a small group of Bajrang Dal supporters followed them everywhere, intimidating them.
“We reported to the officer that we were being followed and intimidated, but the officer claimed he saw no one following us,” said Paswan.
They then returned home without filing a complaint, only to be summoned again by police at 8 p.m. The station in-charge took them to the police station and had Paswan make a statement.
“I didn’t know how to write in a formal way, but I just narrated the incident to a policeman who wrote it for me,” Paswan explained.
Officers kept the parents of four children ages 6 to 16 until 10:30 p.m., telling them they would receive a copy of the FIR, but none was provided.
By the next morning, video footage of Paswan’s ordeal had spread on social media, and members of the Pasi community began calling to inquire about the incident. The Pasi community, which falls under the Scheduled Caste category in India, is recorded as the second-largest Dalit community in Uttar Pradesh according to the 2001 census.
Members of the Pasi community gathered at Paswan’s house and accompanied him to the District Magistrate’s office, where they protested against his mistreatment and submitted a memorandum stating that their religious sentiments were violated by the way Paswan was humiliated.
After considerable effort, an FIR was finally registered at the Khaga police station on Dec. 28 at 8:11 p.m. against Dixit, Luvlesh Singh, Somkaran and 50 unnamed individuals based on Paswan’s complaint.
At 8:43 p.m., however, Dixit registered another FIR at the same police station against Paswan (using only his first name, Shivbaran) and Shivpal under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section for “intentionally insulting someone in a way that provokes a breach of peace,” and under The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act, 2021.
On Dec. 29, police called Paswan to the station to submit some documents, and his wife insisted on going with him. Upon arrival, the couple was detained for hours, threatened with jail and forced to sign a blank paper that would become a “compromise” agreement with the assailants.
Attorney Munish Chandra from Allahabad High Court Lucknow Bench said that they would soon approach the Fatehpur District court to secure anticipatory bail for Paswan, enabling him to return home without fear.
Paswan, who previously worked as a blanket weaver, embraced Christianity in 2002 and subsequently left his occupation to dedicate himself to ministry work.
“These threats and assaults have never deterred me from following the Lord,” said Paswan. “I have moved forward with confidence, and the Lord has taken care of me. Pray that I am strengthened and that I receive justice.”
The hostile tone of India’s government against non-Hindus has emboldened Hindu extremists and others to attack Christians since Narendra Modi took power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say.
India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Modi came to power.
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