"I fled in fear for my life. They’ll finish me if they catch me. I don’t know where to go now," says a distraught Jose Thomas, a Malayali pastor who was subjected to a brutal assault in Chhattisgarh over allegations of religious conversion.
Jose, a native of Ottasekharamangalam near Kattakada in Thiruvananthapuram, has lived in Chhattisgarh for the past 35 years. He serves as the director of the Holy Kingdom English Medium School under the Indian Missionary Movement in Kawardha, Kabirdham district. Alongside overseeing the school, he has been actively involved in his church's community and spiritual outreach activities.

The violence erupted on May 18, when Bajrang Dal activists attacked the Indian Missionary Movement's church during a prayer service. According to Jose, the Holy Kingdom School, founded in 1999, was the first English-medium school in the district and has long served children from diverse backgrounds. Trouble began weeks earlier.

"On April 28, a BJP leader called me and demanded the transfer certificates (TC) of two students, who happened to be the children of Bajrang Dal leaders," Jose recounts. "I explained that they had outstanding fees of over ₹1.5 lakh and that the TCs would be issued once the dues were cleared."

Soon after, both the Assistant Commissioner of Police and the Superintendent of Police contacted him, pressing for the TC. Jose stood firm on the decision not to issue the certificate without clearing the dues. What followed was a terrifying escalation, he said. "First, they attempted to storm the church. People were beaten mercilessly in front of the police. Those assaulted included women and children. Even my wife and kids were beaten. The police then asked me to give a written statement agreeing to shut down our place of worship, as it is located in a residential area. I refused."

That defiance came at a cost. Jose was arrested on charges of religious conversion. When he was released on bail, he was assaulted again on the court premises. "I’ve been told not to return to Kawardha. They’ve warned me that I’ll be killed if I ever go back," Jose says. Currently, he is in hiding along with his wife Liji Thomas and their two children. One of their sons is studying in Hyderabad. "Friends have helped us take shelter in different places. We’re just trying to stay safe."

Despite filing a complaint about the May 18 attack, which included the assault of young girls, local police have refused to register an FIR. Complaints have since been sent via email to various authorities, including the District Police Chief.

Meanwhile, the District Education Office has informed the school that it has received complaints and will soon conduct an inspection. The school's future is now hanging in the balance, Jose says. According to Jose, this was not the first time that violence loomed over the school. "There was a similar attempt to attack our school in 2010," he recalls.