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.
Hindu nationalists. Photo: Wikipedia / Suyash Dwivedi (cc)
A pastor and several members of his church were physically attacked on September 8th when Hindu nationalists raided a worship service in Bhubaneswar, Odisha State. The Christians were accused of forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity.
Pastor Manju, an outspoken leader and prominent advocate for Christian rights in India, pastored churches in two different villages within Chhattisgarh State. Sadly, Pastor Manju suffered a heart attack on August 28th and suddenly passed away, leaving his surviving wife, daughter and two sons grief-stricken and in a state of shock.
The remains of a church building after the attacks in 2008. Photo: All India Christian Council (cc)
Recent reports from reliable sources indicate that Hindu leaders in the state of Odisha are preparing a list of Christian leaders to be attacked during the days to come. Christian leaders have spoken with governing authorities who intend to provide protection. However, the situation is further compounded by the fact that the state is governed by the Hindu nationalist BJP (political party), and the planned attacks coincide with a sensitive time in Hindu/Christian relations.
A village in Odisha Photo: Wikimedia / Strange Burg (cc)
Around 120 tribal Christians from two villages in Odisha State were forcibly "reconverted" to Hinduism on August 4th during a ceremony known as "ghar wapsi" (meaning "homecoming"). The ceremony involved Hindu and tribal rituals which are believed to "cleanse" those who had previously accepted Christ and wash away any remnants of Christianity.
Population
