Police in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh state appear to have collaborated with Hindu militants in order to bring charges of forcible conversion against a Christian social worker, according to a May 4 report from Compass Direct. Sunil Kumar Rao, a social worker for the Child Labour Project in the Gwarighat and Jilhari villages of Jabalpur, was teaching a class of twenty children when police interrupted his lesson, looking for evidence that he was attempting to convert the children to Christianity. When nothing was found to confirm the accusation, Rao was taken to the police station. In front of media and some of his accusers, police then pulled literature from his bag that was not initially there. After giving his statement, Rao was released on bail.
On May 2, also in Jabalpur, a sixty-year-old pastor was accosted and repeatedly slapped by members of the militant Hindu organization, Bajrang Dal, after they found him distributing Christian literature near the train station. A report was then filed with the police that Pastor Soni was offering people money to convert to Christianity. Soni has since been released on bail.
Pray that Rao will remain patient and faithful in the face of false accusations, entrusting the final outcome to the Supreme Judge (Romans 12:9-21). Pray that Pastor Soni will be strengthened to rejoice in God's love and glorify Him in the face of suffering (Ephesians 3:14-21). Pray that God will give both of these men wisdom to know how to respond to the false accusations they are charged with. Pray that their enemies will see Christ in them and glorify the Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).
For more information on the persecution facing Christian in India, click here. The June edition of The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter will feature testimonies and reports of the courage and suffering of our brothers and sisters in India. To subscribe today, go to our newsletter page.
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