Religious persecution in the world's most populous democracy continues unabated, as Christians suffer in multiple ways throughout India. The following accounts are some of those received by VOMC this week:
(a) On November 17, Hindu militants set fire to a church building in the village of Dubbaka in the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh, according to the All India Christian Council (AICC). Gasoline was poured on the wooden doors of the Pentecostal church. When the villagers noticed the smoke, they managed to extinguish the fire that had destroyed the doors.
(b) AICC also reported that the St. Ann's School in Armor, Nizamabad district, was attacked on November 16. The day before, a student had attended school wearing black clothes as part of a Hindu ritual. The school talked to the parents about the importance of wearing the school uniform. When militants heard of the incident, they attacked the school, damaging vehicles and furniture. They also threatened to make the Catholic nuns parade naked.
(c) Earlier this month in Nizamabad district, Pastor Praharshi was visiting a home for prayer on November 3 when a large group of youth surrounded the home. According to a November 27 report from Compass Direct, he and other believers in the house were severely beaten.
(d) Also on November 3, Hindu militants attacked four pastors of an Assembly of God church in Kerala state, according to Compass Direct. The four -- Lallu Pappachen, Manoj Babu, K.J. Ebenezer and B. Jayachandran -- were taken to hospital for treatment. After the victims lodged a police complaint, their attackers destroyed equipment, furniture and the compound wall of the church.
(e) Pastor Ashis Kumar Muna (25) was asked by his uncle on November 15 to pray for a Hindu woman suffering with tuberculosis and kidney problems in Rourkela, Orissa. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians, as he began to pray, the woman's daughters suddenly began to accuse Pastor Ashis of trying to force them to be Christians. Police were called and Muna was arrested. A petition for bail was rejected and Muna was sent to jail to await trial.
(f) According to Evangelical Fellowship of India, Subash Kalappa Chougle, a worker for Pioneer Ministries in Karnataka state was taken into police custody on November 15 on false charges of rape. Subash was on his way to hold a prayer meeting in the small town of Khanapur, near Belgaum, when four girls asked him to come and pray for them at their house. Solomon Bijja, a co-worker stated that later "the four girls with the help of a local Hindu fanatic group went to the nearest police station and one of the girls who is below 20 years of age lodged a complaint against Subash stating that he kidnapped and raped her." Subash's bail hearing was to take place today (November 29) at the Bangalore High Court.
(g) The Evangelical Fellowship of India also reported that a mob consisting of BJP and Bajrang Dal activists and local residents disrupted an meeting in the region of Rajaji Garden and Jagadhri Workshop, Utteranchal. A Christian preacher, A. M. Samuel, and several others were beaten and the temporary shelter in which he was addressing a gathering was ransacked in the late evening of November 15. The mob alleged that the preacher's purpose in coming to the community was to convert Hindus to Christians.
Pray that Indian believers will rejoice in the opportunity to grow in Christlikeness through the ongoing opposition to their faith (James 1:2-4). Ask Christ to help them set Him apart as Lord without giving in to fear (1 Peter 3:14-17). Pray that those injured will recover quickly from their injuries.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here. New video reports on ways that VOMC is assisting persecuted Christians in India are also available on our multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.
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