A group of 15 Christians have been attacked during a Sunday morning service in India's Chhattisgarh state, by a mob of 50 villagers, CSW has reported.
Within the Koshalnar village on the 20th November, the mob surrounded the church filled with Christians from the Muria tribal group and demanded that the pastor and his brother come out of the church.
The villagers then cursed them for abandoning the religion of their tribe and started to beat them, before moving onto the rest of the congregation and beating them too.
At least nine of the Christians seriously injured and requiring treatment at the Narayanpur District Hospital.
CSW's founder president Mervyn Thomas said these attacks are not uncommon: '"Christians from Chhattisgarh's tribal communities are living in fear, under constant threat from their neighbours and facing police indifference to their plight. We call upon the Chhattisgarh government to end it silence on these issues and to ensure that FIRs are being registered, due process is followed and the right to freedom of religion or belief upheld.
"The constitution of India has provisions for all citizens of India to choose their religion or belief, and it is the state's duty to protect this right for all, including those belonging to India's tribal communities."
An First Information Report (FIR), which is needed to open an investigation, has been registered.