As the state government of Rajasthan considers adopting anti-conversion laws, Christians continue to face a campaign of violence from militant Hindu groups in the state.
On March 13, pastors gathered for prayer in the village of Koida were attacked and their Bibles were desecrated. The pastors required hospital treatment for the injuries they sustained.
A March 18 report from Compass Direct records other incidents in recent weeks. In one incident, on February 23, Pastor Vaalu and his pregnant wife were attacked while traveling on a bus. According to the head of Emmanuel Mission, M.A. Thomas, Vaalu was beaten in the face while his wife was thrown from the seat and dragged from the bus. When she pleaded that they spare her for the sake of her unborn child, they told her, "This child is going to be a Christian, so why should we spare you?" After the incident, Vaalu was taken to the police station where his attackers accused him of being an "anti-social element and a terrorist who was disrupting peace," said Thomas. Vaalu was held by police for one day before being released.
Pray that the proposed anti-conversion laws will be rejected and that the increasing violence against Christians in India will subside. Pray for the on-going ministry of Christ's Church in India.
For details on recent incidents of violence against Christians in India, click here.
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