Christians in India are pro-testing the “inhuman behavi-our” of some villa-gers from north-eastern Manipur State for refusing the burial of a woman who left the Baptist Church to become a Catholic.

More than 200 Christians from various denominations gathered in front of the Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi Aug. 17, holding candles, singing hymns and praying. They condemned the incident in a statement and sought help from the government to bury the woman who died Aug. 7. Leingangching villagers in Manipur state denied permission to bury the woman because the village council had excommunicated her family about seven years ago for leaving the Baptist Church and becoming Catholic.

Rita Haorei, the deceased is still not buried, according to Father Vialo Francis of Imphal Archdiocese, based in Manipur.

Fr Francis told ucanews. com that the predominantly Baptist village refused permission to five families, including that of Haorei, to become Catholic saying the village constitution holds that it “shall be a Baptist village.”

Manipur is a Christian strong-hold State. More than 40 percent of its 2.73 million people are Christians, mostly Baptists. Some pockets are almost entirely Christian. The Ukhrul district where Haorei hails from is 95% Christian.