After receiving encouragement from the head of their village, as many as ten men from Nadia, Madhya Pradesh raped two Christian women after the husband of one of the women refused to deny Christ. Reports from the village vary but according to a June 2 report from Compass Direct, Gokharya Barela was beaten by local villagers on May 28 and then taken to the nearby village of Sirvil, where the village court demanded that he forsake his faith. When he refused to do so, the village head ordered that Barela be forced to drink wine. He then told the villagers that they were free to rape Christian women without fear of repercussions. That evening, Barela's wife and another Christian woman were raped by several of the villagers. When Barela and others attempted to intervene, they were beaten.
The following morning, local leaders of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) filed charges against missionaries from neighbouring Maharashtra state for carrying out "mass conversions to Christianity." While no missionary was named, the BJP leaders mentioned the Christians attacked the previous day.
When the Christians went to the Bhagwanpura police station to report on what had happened to them, they were arrested and jailed for a day. At a press conference, one of the rape victims said, "Police say that our complaint is fake. They don't listen to us. We have nowhere to go." The women were able to name their alleged rapists but, at last report, none have been arrested. This brutal attack is widely seen as punishment by Hindu militants for converting from Hinduism to Christianity.
Pray that the Christians affected by this tragedy will entrust true justice to the hand of God (Romans 12:17-21). Pray that these believers will remain steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-10). Ask God to give them healing from the emotional and physical scars of these attacks and fill their hearts with His love (Matthew 5:43-44). Pray that the authorities will bring the attackers to justice.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here.
Population
