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Photo of Philadelphia Church destruction from www.persecution.in |
(a) In Maharashtra, a mob severely beat five Bible college students while they were sharing their faith on the streets of a local village on February 18, according to a report from Gospel for Asia. One of the students managed to escape and get help from the leaders of their college. Rushing to the scene, the leaders found the other four students who were badly injured. When they were taken to the hospital, doctors refused treatment until a police report was filed. Two of the students are in critical condition with head injuries and bleeding.
(b) Also in Maharashtra, Hindu militants were recruited by a disgruntled former church leader to stop the construction of a prayer house for the Philadelphia Fellowship Church in the village of Vagda, according to a report from the Global Council of Indian Christians. After receiving building permits, the church began construction despite opposition. On the night of February 10, the partially constructed building was seriously damaged.
(c) Thirteen workers of a Christian centre in Prem Nagar, Haryana were forced to move out of the area for their safety, according to a February 18 report from Compass Direct. On February 13, local officials demanded that the workers obtain official permission to run a Christian centre which provided education and a daily meal to approximately 100 underprivileged children. Authorities then locked the workers out of the house. Local villagers have been collecting signatures in an attempt to have the centre re-opened.
(d) On February 8, a mob assaulted Father George Thoppil, Principal of the St. Thomas Higher Secondary School in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, according to a February 18 report from Compass Direct. The militants barged into his office, shouting obscenities against Christianity. They smashed furnishings and equipment, ransacked the residential quarters of the priests and destroyed a statue of Mary.
The riot began after two young children were struck and killed by a truck 500 metres from the school. According to the Times of India, Hindu activists accused the school of creating a traffic hazard by keeping one of its gates closed. Saji Abraham from the All Indian Christian Council believes Hindu militants took advantage of the accident to attack Christians. Nine of the attackers have been arrested.
(e) The Voice of the Martyrs expresses its deep disappointment to learn from the Evangelical Fellowship of India that Shri Justice Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje, the governor of Himachal Pradesh has decided to give his assent to the Himachal Pradesh Freedom of Religion Bill, 2006.
The Act forbids any attempt of a person to convert from one religion to another through inducement or fraud. Those found to be at fault will be imprisoned up to two years and/or fined. Anyone wishing to convert has to give thirty days prior notice to the district magistrate. The magistrate will then arrange an investigation to check the motives of the person wishing to convert. Similar legislation has been misused in other states to harass Christian workers and obstruct genuine conversions.
Pray that as persecution increases in India, believers will find their comfort in Christ to be more than enough for them (2 Corinthians 1:5). Pray that the students who have been injured will recover quickly. Pray that those who have experienced property damage will rest in the fact that they have "better and lasting possessions" (Hebrews 10:36, 37). Ask God that, in His time, He would open the way for the Christian workers in Haryana to return to their ministry. Pray that persecutors throughout India would be challenged by the consistent testimony of believers and be drawn to Christ (Romans 12:14, 21).
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, click here. Video reports on persecution in India are also available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/. A new video entitled "Faith Under Fire: India" is also available for sale on VOMC's newly updated online catalogue.
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