Hindu Militants Attack Church Accused of Forcible Conversions

On May 14, Hindu militants beat a recent convert and the pastor of an independent church in Jabalpur, India and vandalized the building following the worship service, according to a May 15 report from Compass Direct.

About fifty members of the militant organization Dharam Jagran Sena threw stones at the Anant Jeevan Marg church before entering the building. They damaged furniture and equipment and beat Dinanath Tiwari, a former Hindu who had recently come to faith in Christ after his wife was cured of cancer.  The militants then roughed up Pastor Munnu Kujur and threatened to throw acid in his face and bomb his church if he did not stop converting Hindus to Christianity.  The mob took Kujur to the police station where he was charged under Madhya Pradesh's anti-conversion legislation. He was only released from custody after the Christian Legal Association of India intervened.  Tiwari has filed a counter-claim against four of the militants for their attack on him.

Pray that Dinanath's young faith will be strengthened through the trials that he has endured (James 1:1-4). Pray that this congregation will trust God to enable them to proclaim the Gospel regardless of what their opponents might say or do. (2 Timothy 4:16-18). Pray that Pastor Kujur know God's wisdom as he faces these charges.

For more information on the persecution of Christians 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.

India Information

  • Current Ministry Projects

    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.”

    Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defense, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry, Medical Fund

  • Country Information

    Population
    1,399,179,585 (2023 est.)

    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.

India News

  • Supreme Court to Review Anti-Conversion Laws
    The India Supreme Court building is surrounded by trees.
    The Supreme Court of India.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Subhashish Panigrahi (cc)

    The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a series of petitions challenging the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws enacted by several of the country's states. On September 16th, the court issued notices to the respective state governments, requesting their formal responses within four weeks. The case is scheduled to be heard in six weeks, and the judges have indicated that they may consider ordering the states to pause the enforcement of their existing laws until a decision is made.

  • New Policies Further Restrict Religious Freedom
    A brightly lit church building is filled with people.
    A church in India.
    Photo: Flickr / Ashish Kumar Milap (cc)

    Recent developments in two Indian states have raised serious concerns for Christians, particularly in relation to the newly heightened restrictions on religious conversions. In the first incident, police in Chhattisgarh notified more than 200 house churches around the state capital city of Raipur that worship gatherings within private homes are no longer permitted.

  • Pastors Arrested and Assaulted
    A crowd is gathered around a church building.
    A screenshot of people disrupting the service in Bhilai.
    Photo: Morning Star News

    On July 20th, six pastors were arrested after a mob disrupted a church service in Bhilai, a city located within the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The assailants chanted Hindu slogans and accused the pastors of engaging in forcible conversions. As the mob grew increasingly vocal, shouting obscenities and threatening violence, Pastor Baksh locked the church doors to protect his congregation members.