In two separate incidents this past weekend, Christians in India faced physical and emotional abuse at the hands of militant Hindus.
On January 27, three Bible school students in the state of Himachal Pradesh were beaten and their home-based school was vandalized, according to a January 27 report from Gospel for Asia.
The three students were evangelizing in a nearby village when they were confronted by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). They were beaten and taken to the local police station. As many as sixty protestors then vandalized the home Bible school, breaking windows and shelves and tearing apart books. When local police responded to the attack, they took the staff and students into protective custody and posted guards at the school.
In an unrelated attack, Christians were holding a prayer meeting in Sasaram, Bahir state on January 28 when they were attacked by approximately forty members of the militant Hindu organization, Bajrang Dal. According to a January 29 report from Salem Voice, the armed attackers beat those present. Several were later hospitalized. They also tore down posters and burned books and leaflets. The mob shouted slogans against the conversion of Hindus to Christianity and warned against holding further meetings. According to reports, nearly fifty local Dalit families have converted to Christianity in the past two months.
Pray for the healing of those who were injured. Pray that Christians in India would set Christ apart as Lord without giving in to fear (1 Peter 3:14-17). Pray that those who persecute will come to know Jesus as their Saviour.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here. Video reports on the persecution of Christians in India are available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com.
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