Jamui: In a shocking incident that has come to the fore from Bihar’s Jamui district, a woman has alleged that she was badly beaten and humiliated by her-in-laws for refusing to convert to Christian fold.
In a complaint filed with Superintendent of Police, Jamui on May 26, the victim identified as Sonali Devi, a resident of Baliyadih village under the jurisdiction of Jhajha police station limits has accused her brothers-in laws Kanhaiya and Panchu Das for allegedly assaulting her with sticks and rods along issuing death threats on May 25. The victim lady also alleged the duo for calling her ‘Dayan’ (witch).
The victim accompanied by her husband Sahdev Das who works in Kolkata submitted a formal complaint with the SP on May 26, seeking action into the matter.
According to the victim, she was put under continuous pressure by her-in-laws including her-father-in-law Tarni Das, mother-in-law Suruti Devi and brother-in-law Kanhaiya Das to convert to Christianity. According to her, all these members of her family have embraced Christianity around a decade ago, though they still identify themselves as Hindus in public.
In her complaint, the victim lady has narrated about the repeated torture by her-in-laws which also include threats of denying her valid share in ancestral property for refusing to comply with their demand. According to the victim, her-in-laws use religion as a weapon, humiliating her for choosing to remain a practicing Hindu.
The victim lady was even branded as a witch and reportedly forced to undergo a humiliating ritual where her hair was cut by a local ‘Ojha’ (a term used for those claimed to deal with witchcraft) at the behest of her-in-laws. The victim lady had also reportedly approached the local police twice with no meaningful outcome.
Sonali alleged that she was forced to take shelter at her parents’ house for six years due to continuous harassment by her-in-laws. She further accused her-in-laws for insulting and prohibiting her from doing Hindu rituals and worshiping Hindu deities. She was even told that evil spirits are dancing in the house and causing illness as she worship Hanuman Ji.
She claimed that her husband invested his hard earned money in the repair work of the ancestral house, however she was not allowed to live there by her-in-laws. Following Sonali’s fresh complaint on May 26, the matter is currently being investigated by the authorities.
I spoke to this resilient woman, Sonali Devi, from a village in Bihar’s Jamui.
10 years ago, her in-laws, under influence of a pastor offering money and promises of miracles, converted. Her husband’s brothers and their wives followed suit, as did half of the village.
Sonali… https://t.co/pmzWdwAvzg
— Swati Goel Sharma (@swati_gs) May 28, 2025
It is noteworthy that this is not the only time that such a case involving dispute between the family members over attempts of forced conversion has come to the fore and cases of similar nature are keep surfacing from separate localities, showcasing the disastrous impact of conversion on families affected by it.
Such cases where the converts privately practicing Christianity while posing themselves as Hindus in public at the same time also reflects about the systematic fraud, likely to avail reservation benefits and other benefits of government schemes.
Many such cases have come to the fore in tribal dominated areas lately, where demands to de-list those who have embraced any other religion by leaving customary practices followed by the tribal community has gained momentum, reflecting the growing resentment among the community members against such systematic fraud.
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