Four Hindu men identified as members of the militant Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal attacked a prayer meeting in the village of Dhanora in Madhya Pradesh, India on February 23. According to a March 14 report from Compass Direct, the men beat two of the Christians with wooden planks and roughed up several others while police officers assigned to protect the church sat quietly with their heads down. Church members say that the attackers told them, "When we can attack you in the presence of police, who can you complain to?" An hour later, approximately sixty more people came to disrupt the meeting.
Initially, the police refused to file a report on the incident. After the church members complained to the superintendent, a report was filed and two men were arrested on February 25. The police deny any negligence, claiming that the officer assigned to protect the church had gone for a lunch break when the attack took place.
Among those injured in the attack was a local Christian convert, Jharia, who is over sixty-five years old and received injuries to his nose and above his left eye. Ratan Arjune, a Christian from nearby Jabalpur, was also injured in his legs and arms. A Christian lady from Jabalpur was hit in the chest and others, including the pastor, were manhandled. Since the attack, local Christians have been warned to drop the case, or Jharia and his associates may be killed or have their homes burned down.
Pray for protection for these Christians and for a quick recovery. Pray that justice will be served in this case. Pray for the continued outreach of the Gospel in the face of severe opposition.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.
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