Father Alleges Son Killed for Converting to Christianity in Odisha

A 14-year-old boy, Samru Madkami, who converted to Christianity was found dead and buried in the forest in Kenduguda village in Odisha’s Malkangiri district. His father Unga Madkami too, had converted to Christianity three years ago. He says that ever since they converted, some people in the village have been harassing them.

“Three years ago we converted to Christianity. From that day, the people in the village are angry with us. They have threatened to kill us. We had also complained to the police about it, but the case was dismissed. In the meantime, they took my son to the forest and killed him and buried him. “

Unga Madkami, Samru’s Father

However, the local police is seeing this as a case of superstition. Malkangiri SP Rishikesh says that superstition seems to be the main reason in this case, and if there is any other angle, then the police will also look into it.

What Happened on 4 June?

A relative of Samru said that on the night of 4 June, some villagers had asked Samru Madakami to attend a meeting in the forest, and then forcibly took Samru with them.

Ragland Remo Paul, a social worker, said that some people came to her house on the night of 4 June and tried to forcibly take Samru and his two relatives. The two relatives somehow survived, but they took Samru away. A relative said:

“They (the accused) had knives. They tried to forcibly kidnap me, threatening to kill me, but I escaped somehow”

Paul said, "After this, the police caught the accused, they confessed that they were the ones who murdered him. The police then reached the place where Samru’s body was buried and recovered it.”

Activist Shibu Thomas, who closely monitored the incidents said, "In the last 4 years I have seen more than 1,500 such cases. This is by far the most painful case. This vicious brutality exposes the mentality and attitude of religious fundamentalists. This horrific and contagious atrocity of religious intolerance has now reached new inhuman heights. "