Eight Christian women, including two teenage girls, were beaten and humiliated in two villages in Orissa State, India on February 6 while the men of the homes were at work. According to a February 17 report from Compass Direct, a mob of over forty, including some of their own relatives, tried to persuade the women in Kilipala and Kanimul to renounce their faith in Christ. When they refused, they were beaten, stripped naked, and forced to walk through their villages before having their heads shaved. Despite calling for help, no one from the other homes in the village came to their aid. Dayal Gangwar, the district superintendent of police, said that the women were recent converts to Christianity.\
These attacks come at a time when Christians have been increasingly harassed by militant Hindu activists determined to prevent conversions to Christianity. In five states in India, including Orissa, legislation has been passed to restrict religious conversions. In late January and early February, a series of articles were published in the weekly newspaper, Tehelka, claiming that missionary organizations are working for the CIA as part of a U.S. 
government "conversion agenda" for India. The All India Christian Council has called for a summit meeting of Christian leaders on February 28 to decide on an appropriate response to these allegations. Such accusations are not new. In February 2002, a member of the Hindu BJP party, G. Madhusudan, accused missionaries of spying for the CIA. However, the frequency of such allegations appears to be increasing in recent months.
Pray for emotional and physical healing for these women. Pray that they will continue to remain faithful to their Lord. Pray that Christian leaders facing these unfounded allegations will respond in a Christ-like manner and that accusations like these will not hinder the ministry of caring for the people of India.
For more information on persecution in India, go to https://www.vomcanada.com/india.htm.
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