Militants from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal beat and robbed a group of 280 Christian students on their way to a graduation ceremony in Kota, India. The graduation ceremonies at Emmanuel Mission take place each February, with students coming from 98 mission centres around India.
The attackers were waiting as the train from Andhra Pradesh arrived with the students in the early morning of February 19. According to a February 22 report from Compass Direct, the Deputy Mayor, Ravindra Singh Nirbhay, led the group which met the students as they left their train. They beat and robbed the students, as well as those coming to take the students to the mission. A Catholic nun traveling on the train was also beaten. Local police rounded up the students and took them to the police station. They were held in custody until the following evening and were then forced to return to their homes. The head of Emmanuel Mission, Dr. M.A. Thomas, was not allowed to meet with the students. The attackers told police that Emmanuel Mission had lured them to Kota with promises of a bicycle and 250 rupees ($14.00 CDN), in exchange for converting to Christianity. The next day another group of 22 students was beaten and forced by police to return home. None of the attackers have been detained by police. Despites threats, Emmanuel Mission plans to continue with graduation as planned.
Pray for safety for the students and staff of Emmanuel Mission. Pray for the continued ministry of Dr. Thomas and other Christian leaders reaching out to people throughout India with the Gospel of Christ. Pray that the students who were mistreated will forgive and then reach out to others with the message of the forgiveness of Christ.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.
VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”
Ethnicity (%) Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)
Religion (%) Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)
Leader President Droupadi Murmu (2022)
Government type Federal parliamentary republic
Legal system Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for India
Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.
A church in India. Photo: Flickr / Nevil Zaver (cc)
In a Persecution & Prayer Alert report published earlier this month, it was revealed that a pastor and his wife in India had been convicted of allegedly attempting to convert Dalit villagers within their community. Pastor Jose Pappachan and his wife Sheeja were both fined and sentenced to five years in prison (see our previous report).
A church in India. Photo: Flickr / Nevil Zaver (cc)
On July 30th, 2024, an amendment to Uttar Pradesh's anti-conversion legislation was passed in an effort to strengthen the state's existing laws. In particular, major changes were made to the severity of punishments imposed on convicted individuals. Since the amended law was brought into effect, a pastor and his wife were found guilty on January 22nd and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. They were also fined 25,000 rupees (about $420 CAD) each.
Kunika Kashyap was more than six months pregnant when she went to visit another Christian in her village who had been ill. While Kunika was sitting at the ailing believer's bedside, a relative of hers named Ganga Ram Kashyap began recording the pregnant Christian woman on his mobile phone, hoping to obtain video evidence of her praying.
A church in India during the Christmas season. Photo: Wikimedia / Sandipanraha (cc)
A wave of violent incidents marred Christmas celebrations across India, even as Prime Minister Modi extolled the virtues of "love" and "harmony" in his Christmas speech and social media posts. The recently occurring acts of violence against followers of Jesus, which took place in at least ten states across India, were particularly instigated by Hindu nationalist groups in their determination to rid the nation of Christian influence.
Population
