In the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, Christians have been facing ongoing intimidation and violence from militants with apparent ties to the Hindu nationalist organization, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
Recently, seven Christians – six of whom are pastors – were convicted under the anti-conversion laws of Madhya Pradesh and sentenced to five years in prison. Each believer also received a fine of 100,000 rupees (approximately $1,500 CAD).
In 2014, Shahzad Masih and his wife Shama were falsely accused of burning the Quran. Militant Muslim leaders had incited villagers to attack the young Christian couple, resulting in a frenzied mob of hundreds participating in a series of torturous events that culminated in the believers' tragic deaths. Shama, who was five months pregnant at the time, was brutally killed along with her husband and thrown into a burning brick kiln. (VOMC's initially posted Persecution & Prayer Alert about this fatal incident may be reviewed here.)
