Victim's son, Sukura, and his family.
Photo: Open Doors via World Watch Monitor
An Indian grandmother was viciously murdered, apparently because her Christian faith was "disturbing the peace" in her village. The incident took place in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, followed by other serious attacks on vulnerable Christians in the state during the past year, including the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl.
During the evening of October 16th, some villagers went to Samari's home asking for her son Sukura. When she told them he was out, they dragged her outside, pulled off all her clothes, and beat her to death. They then burnt her body a few hundred metres from her house.
When Sukura returned home the next day, he couldn't find his mother. While searching near her house, he found bloodstains and a bag with the clothes she had worn the previous day. He asked the neighbours what had happened, but noticed they seemed to be hiding something. Eventually they told him the horrific news.
Sukura immediately reported the incident to police. They arrested the village chief who confirmed the details of the murder. The chief was detained for two days while the police made further inquiries, which led to the arrests of four people from the village.
Six months earlier, some of the villagers had complained about Sukura's family to local Naxalites -- militant communists operating in India who are known to have murdered many Christians in the past. The villagers told the Naxalites that Sukura's family was "disturbing the peace" of the village and must be killed. The Naxalites then abducted and detained Sukura and his family for three days, before letting them go.
"The Naxalites told the villagers that we were innocent; that we were praying for the welfare of the community and not disturbing the peace," attests Sukura. Despite this, the villagers continued to threaten the family. To learn more about persecution in India, check this webpage.
Pray that the Lord will walk closely with this family as they continue to come to terms with their terrible loss. May the members of their church and others of the community be of great support and encouragement to them. Also pray that this tragic death will not be in vain. May the testimony of Samari, her son Sukura, and their family, be used by the Holy Spirit to touch the hearts of many -- including the perpetrators -- leading them to eternal salvation through the provision of God's Son, Jesus, who willingly paid the price for their sins.
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