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.
Since 2022, Christians in the Nabarangpur district of Odisha have faced at least eight separate instances in which they have been denied the right to bury their loved ones. In many of these cases, opposing community members refused to allow the burial of deceased Christians in a cemetery used by Hindus, forcing the families to instead bury their loved ones in the forest or other locations.
Belongings removed from the homes of Christian families. Photo: CSW
Six Christian families from Karingundam, a village located in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh state, were evicted from their homes on April 12th for refusing to renounce their faith in Christ. Opposing villagers loaded their belongings onto a truck – only to be hauled out of the village and dumped. The desolate families were forced to spend the night in the forest without any shelter. At least 25 individuals were affected by this dire situation.
Graham Staines with sons Philip and Timothy. Photo: VOM USA
On January 23rd, 1999, Australian missionary Graham Staines, along with his two young sons Philip and Timothy, were burned to death by Hindu nationalist militants. Initially, authorities denied that the assailants had any connection to the Hindu nationalist group, Bajrang Dal, though such ties were later substantiated. While 14 men had been arrested in connection with the incident, 12 of the perpetrators were acquitted due to lack of evidence. The other two men, Mahendra Hembram and Dara Singh, were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Two busloads of Christians that had embarked on a Lenten pilgrimage tour were stopped by members of a Hindu nationalist group on March 31st and subsequently handed over to police. The incident led to the physical and verbal assault of some Christian leaders.
Population
