Pastor Subhash Baghel's body lay in a freezer for nearly three weeks, trapped in bureaucratic limbo.
His grief-stricken family wanted to bury him in the same cemetery where generations of their ancestors have been laid to rest.
But in their remote village in Bastar region, a rugged tribal belt in India's central Chhattisgarh state, that was no longer an option.
The funeral was blocked by right-wing Hindu vigilantes — backed by village authorities.
"He was a man of Christian faith, that's why this has happened," his son, Ramesh Baghel, told the ABC.
"If the authorities were standing with me, this couldn't have occurred."
Burial dispute boils over
Ramesh Baghel says he is a third-generation Christian belonging to the New Apostolic Church.
His family has lived in their ancestral village of Chhindwada for generations.
The village, which is home to 6,450 people, is predominantly tribal.
Among them, 450 people belong to the Mahra community, of which 350 are Hindu and 100 are Christian.
When his father, Pastor Baghel, died on January 7 after a prolonged illness, members of his village opposed his burial.
An affidavit filed with the Supreme Court of India by Bastar's Additional Superintendent of police stated that birth, marriage, and death rituals must follow traditional customs.
It said that "any person who has forsworn the tradition of the community or has converted into a Christian is not allowed to be buried at the village graveyard".
The affidavit acknowledged that disputes between Christians and tribal people had increased in recent years.
It also noted that "every time a member of the Mahra Christian community dies, police intervene to prevent clashes and help find a solution".
Ramesh's request for burial on his private property was also denied.
"It's impossible to describe the pain I'm feeling," Ramesh said.
It was not an isolated case.
Faith and tradition clash
Bastar has long been a battleground for competing ideologies.
Both Christians and Hindus, along with Maoist insurgents, have vied for the hearts and minds of the region's Indigenous tribes, many of whom are nature worshippers.
According to interviews with local Christians, lawyers, and activists, Chattisgarh's Hindu nationalist groups, who have been angered by Christian missionaries' activities and emboldened by local political leaders, have assaulted and displaced Christian converts across the state for decades.
Hindu nationalist groups have accused Christian missionaries of using education and aid programs to lure people away from their traditions.
Tribal leader Raja Ram Todem, a former state legislator and member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been leading the charge.
"We have an unshakable belief in our gods and goddesses," Mr Todem told the ABC.
"Christians want to erase our traditions. We must stop them."
He has claimed tensions have escalated in recent years as evangelical missionaries have spread a rigid version of their faith.
"Why would our community tolerate this," he said.
Right-wing Hindu groups have made conversions their primary battlefront.
In the remote village of Kaknar, Mr Todem's group has conducted "homecoming" ceremonies for nine out of the 12 Christian families still living there.
As part of the ritual, he gathers the converts and washes their feet.
A Hindu priest smashes a coconut on the ground, and the tribals — many of whom were never Hindu to begin with — are declared "reverts".
A local lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, said the three remaining Christian families fled out of fear.
Mr Todem has denied using violence.
"We don't want to commit violence … we aren't doing it," he said.
"All we're saying is stay away from our cremation grounds. Don't come to our village and pray."
Rising persecutions, group says
This rhetoric has translated into action.
Human rights group United Christian Forum has documented more than 4,000 cases of anti-Christian violence in India over the past decade, including forced reconversions, church burnings, and violent mob attacks.
[graph]Just last year, they recorded more than 834 cases of persecution.
These include attacks on churches and prayer meetings, harassment of Christian families, social ostracisation, and criminal cases based on allegations of forced conversions.
Politicians 'creating fear'
Michael Williams, president of the United Christian Forum, believes hateful rhetoric against minorities is being wielded as a political tool.
"You are creating in people's mind a fear that 1 billion Hindus will soon be outnumbered," he said.
"If you can sell that lie, you win that election, and we've seen that happening in the last three elections."
Christians make up just 2.3 per cent of India's population of 1.4 billion, according to the most recent 2011 Census.
But that number is likely an underestimation because the government only counts those who have officially registered as Christian.
Some researchers have also argued violence against Muslims has increased during election campaigns by Hindu parties that wanted to energise their base.
Dr Williams believes Prime Minister Modi and his Hindu-nationalist BJP bear responsibility for the violence.
"I've never heard him stand up and tell everybody that no matter what, not a single minority will be touched, if anybody is caught, they will have consequences to pay," Dr Williams said.
Family fights for dignity
On January 27, Ramesh was finally able to bury his father — 20 days after his death.
He took the matter to the Chhattisgarh High Court, arguing that his family members — including his grandfather and aunt — had been buried in the village graveyard without objections.
But the court dismissed his plea, ruling that a designated space existed for Christians elsewhere.
The court reasoned that allowing the burial in the village could lead to unrest and public disharmony.
Ramesh appealed the decision but ultimately lost.
He was forced to bury his father 25 kilometres away from his home.
"This is one-sided justice. It's a dictatorship. Implementing law and order is the government's responsibility," he said.
"What can a common man do?"
Comment has been sought from the Prime Minister's Office.
