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India

  • Catholic Church Attacked by Mob

    Twelve people have been arrested in Raikia, Orissa after an attack on Our Lady of Charity Catholic Church. On August 26, militant Hindus attacked the church building, as well as homes of some of the members. The door of the church was knocked down to allow the vandals to enter. They destroyed musical instruments, furniture, fixtures and literature. Windows were smashed on several homes. The incident began after church members protested the removal of a fence around the church property by local residents. According to news reports, at least six people were injured in the attack. As many as three hundred people were involved in the mob action.

    Several platoons of armed police have been called in to protect the church property in an attempt to ease the tense situation. According to "The Hindu" news service, those arrested included Christians as well as Hindus.

    Pray for peace between Christians and Hindus in Raikia and throughout India. Pray that Christians will be free from attack and be allowed to serve Christ without threats of violence.

    For more information on persecution of Christians in India, click here.
  • Abducted Evangelists Rescued Last week, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on the abduction of five evangelical evangelists (click here). One had managed to escape and told police where the others were being held. They were all rescued by the police but have been asked to minister in a different location.
  • Five Evangelists Abducted

     
    Photos from Gospel for Asia

    On July 24, a group of militant Hindus opposed to the work of evangelists in the area of Karnataka, India, abducted five workers with Gospel for Asia, accusing them of robbery. The five men, Lokesh, Yesuraj, Kumar, Anil and Ramesh, had previously received threats because of their evangelistic work in the area. When a robbery took place in the area, the five were falsely accused of the crime and abducted by a group opposed to their message. According to Gospel for Asia, one of the men, Ramesh, managed to escape. The other four have been beaten and their Gospel literature destroyed.

    Pray that these servants of God will be released and will not be seriously harmed. Pray for the continued ministry of the Gospel in the area.

    For more information on India and the dangers experienced by Christians there, click here.
  • Church Construction Destroyed

    Tensions are high in the village of Rohiyal Talal in India's Gujarat state after a July 18 attack on a church building under construction. A group of 15-20 people arrived in a jeep with spades and axes and began to destroy the walls, iron grates, and windows. According to witnesses, some of the attackers were local leaders of the militant Hindu organization Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). According to Compass Direct, problems arose when two Hindu brothers turned against another brother, Suresh Ada Varli, who had become a Christian. Varli was helping to finance the construction, which his brothers claimed was illegal. Even though police identified several of the accused the next day, no arrests have been reported.

    Pray that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable. Pray that Christians in the community will demonstrate the love of Christ to their Hindu neighbours and that people will come to Christ through this situation.

    For more information on persecution of Christians in India, click here.
  • Christians Charged Under Anti-Conversion Laws Released on Bail Pastor Subas Samal and his associate, Dhaneshwar Kandi, from Kilipal village in Orissa, India were released on bail on July 14 after spending more than six weeks in jail on charges under the state's anti-conversion legislation(for more information on the arrests, click here). The five women charged along with them are still in prison until bail can be posted for them.

    In a July 16 report from Compass Direct, Pastor Samal denies ever using money or other means to induce people to convert. The two men intend to return to Kilipal and attempt to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the conflict going on in the village. Their arrest stems originally from an incident in February when Hindu villagers shaved the heads of Samal and six women as a sign of their "re-conversion" to Hinduism. After six villagers were arrested in connection with the incident, charges were brought against Samal, Kandi and the women in retaliation.

    Pray for Samal and Kandi, as they attempt to bring peace to their village. Pray that the women still in prison will be released on bail. Pray that all charges will be dropped and that the anti-conversion legislation will be repealed in Orissa.

    In another positive development, a Dutch missionary who has served in Kashmir since 1963 and had been ordered to leave the country (click here for details) will be allowed to remain. Father Jim Borst's visa was not renewed in April, following accusations that the Catholic schools he was running were being used to as methods of converting the area's Muslims. After further investigation, the charges were not substantiated and Borst will be allowed to continue his ministry in India.

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in India,click here.
  • Body of Christian Removed by Hindu Villagers

    Though there are only twenty-five Christians in the village of Patsoi in Manipur, India, they agreed as a church to purchase land for the express purpose of establishing a Christian cemetery. When the mother of Pastor Amuba died, the church planned to bury her in their newly-established cemetery, but Hindu villagers protested against a Christian cemetery in their small village. According to a July 18 report by Assist News Service, the church members attempted to peacefully resolve the issue, but it quickly escalated to the point where they were accused of fraud. Nevertheless, the funeral continued and the woman was buried. After the funeral, however, village leaders led a group who dug up the body and took it to the pastor's house as a warning.

    The woman has since been buried in a cemetery in a nearby village and with the support of Rev. N. Debenedra Singh, the Executive Secretary of Meitei Baptist Association in Manipur, a case was registered at the police station against those responsible for digging up the body. To this point, however, police have taken no action to deal with the culprits.

    Pray for the Pastor Amuba and his family, as they face the loss of a loved one together with this added challenge. Pray for a peaceful resolution and that the church will continue to demonstrate the love of Christ to their neighbours in the midst of this situation.

    For more information on persecution in India, click here.
  • Pastor's Wife Kidnapped by Hindu Militants

    Manulaben Dinana, the wife of Pastor Dharmesh Ninama, an Assembly of God missionary in Dahod district, Gujarat, was assaulted and kidnapped on May 29 while in the local market. According to a July 9 report from Compass Direct, several eye-witnesses saw the incident, identifying the ten men as a local group of Hindu militants, led by Devjibhai Hirabhai Pargi.

    Despite the eye-witness accounts, including identification of the attackers, the police refused to arrest or even question the men, even though her husband provided them with a list of names and addresses. Ninama then went to the homes of the attackers with some of his relatives. In the home of one, Shanker Maal, they found Dinana bound and gagged. However, they were attacked and forced to flee. The police came an hour later, only to find that Dinana had been moved. The police would not search the area. Incredibly, the next day, in the presence of the husband, the police chief called the kidnappers asking that they release her. The kidnappers admitted that they had her and agreed to do so soon. There has been no action by either the police or kidnappers, however, despite Ninama's repeated pleas for help.

    Police finally registered the case on June 12 only after the All India Christian Council appealed to state authorities. They have charged the men with abduction and rape, but have not taken any action to arrest the men, even after six weeks. Christians in the area believe that part of the reason for the inaction of the police is that the attackers are members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, both militant Hindu organizations. They also have allies in the local legislative assembly.

     
    Shri Ashok Chandulal Bhatt

    Pray for safety for Manulaben Dinana and for comfort and strength for Ninama. Pray that the authorities will be willing to take action against her attackers. We would ask that you please appeal to the Law and Justice Minister for Gujarat State, Shri Ashok Chandulal Bhatt, urging him to direct the Director General of Police to make an arrest and to rescue this man's wife from her kidnappers. The case number of the incident is FIR No. 94.04, registered by the Fatehpura police officials on June 12. The minister can be contacted by email at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..

    For more information on persecution of the Church in India,click here.
  • Pastor and Six Others Charged Following Humiliation by Hindu Villagers

    Pastor Subas Samal, his associate pastor Dhanishwar Kandi, and five others from Kilipal village in Orissa state, India, have been charged with "conversion by inducement" under the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act (OFRA). According to a June 3 report from Compass Direct, these charges follow arrests of six Hindu villagers after eight Christian women and Pastor Samal were beaten and humiliated for their faith (click here for more details). According to the charges against them, the Christians are accused of forcibly converting twenty-five Dalit villagers over a period of ten years, luring them with financial rewards. The lawyer for the Hindu villagers who humiliated the Christians also claims that the Christians shaved their own heads, "tonsuring" themselves in order to malign the Hindu community.

    Pray that the charges against these Christians will be dropped and that the truth will prevail. Pray for a continued ministry by Christians in Kilipal, and that the Gospel of Christ will reach the Hindu villagers who brought these charges against these believers.

    For more information on the trials facing Christians in India, click here.
  • Christian Appointed to Cabinet The Voice of the Martyrs was delighted to learn this week that India's new Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has appointed P.R. Kyndiah from northeast India to become his Minister of Tribal Affairs. Kyndiah is known to be a strong Christian and his appointment, it is hoped, will help stem the rising persecution of Christians that has marked India over the last five years. The electoral defeat of the ruling pro-Hindu BJP government and the appointment of India's first non-Hindu Prime Minister are hopeful signs that religious minorities can expect greater protection than they have in recent years.

    Thank God for recent developments in the India government. Pray that militant groups loyal to the former government will not instigate acts of violence against Christians and other religious minorities in retaliation.

    For more information on challenges facing the Church in India, click here.
  • Election Results Bring Renewed Hope for Christians

    As Indian voters went to the polls, a close election was expected, but one which would return to power the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party. Instead, in what Indian Christians consider an answer to prayer, the secular National Congress Party gained a surprisingly decisive victory. Dr. Joseph D'Souza from the All India Christian Council told Assist News Service on May 14 that, while persecution of Christians will likely continue at the state level in some parts of India, there is an expectation of change on the national level, respecting the rights of all people, including religious minorities.

     
    Selvi J. Jayalalithaa
    Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

    Almost immediately, effects of the election were seen in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. After devastating election results in which her party failed to gain a single seat in the national elections, Selvi J. Jayalalithaa, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, announced a number of legislative changes on May 18, including the immediate repeal of the state's controversial anti-conversion law. Jayalalithaa claimed that the decision was based on requests from religious minorities as well as to "clear any misconception" on the intention of the law.

    In response to India's election results, VOM spokesman, Glenn Penner, said, "We are delighted to see the defeat of the BJP party in India. Under their rule, Hindu militants have felt free to intimidate and attack religious minorities without fear of significant consequences. Together with India's Christians, we rejoice in the hope of greater religious freedom in this great country. We particularly welcome Tamil Nadu's repeal of the anti-conversion law and urge similar action in the remaining states that have passed such restrictive legislation."

    The June edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will feature an article on the situation facing Christians in India. Click here to subscribe now to our newsletter. For more information on persecution of Christians in India, click here.

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