Christian villagers in India's Maharashtra state have reportedly been told that one church will be closed down every week because "luring" people to convert to Christianity is "destroying" local tradition and culture.
Homes belonging to Christians in the state have been attacked by local extremist groups in the past few months with some believers being threatened with being cut off from local water supplies and access to government-subsidised groceries if they don't give up their faith.
On Sunday villager Gallu Kowasi was badly beaten by locals demanding he renounce his faith, the World Watch Monitor reports.
A source that wished to remain anonymous said Christians are also being threatened with expulsion from their village.
The source explained: "If one person in the family is converted to Christianity, the rest of the family unites with the village and all of them immediately socially boycott that person.
"The new Christian convert will be given no job in the village and no-one will come to help him with his work. The social boycott is just the start.
"Thereafter the new convert is threatened constantly to leave his faith; he can be easily attacked and his house attacked."
The majority of attacks on Christian homes took place at the end of June in protest of the building of a new church in Halwar village.
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