Two men, Vijaya Kumar Maurya and Keera Lal, were abducted and beaten by Hindu militants in Madhya Pradesh on January 17, according to a January 22 report from Compass Direct. At approximately 8:00 a.m., six armed men stormed a house church meeting in the village of Pathigaon and accused the believers present of forcibly converting Hindus. The militants demanded that Maurya and Lal accompany them to the police station. When other believers requested that they go along to the station, the militants beat Maurya and Lal and kidnapped them. Both men were taken to a jungle, where they were beaten again. They were then taken to a nearby temple. The militants planned to sacrifice the two to the temple god, but decided not to do so after the police informed them that a complaint had been filed against them. The militants forced Maurya and Lal to call the police and say that they had not been kidnapped and also forced them to sign a paper making the same claim. At approximately 8:00 p.m., both believers were released.
Pray for healing for Maurya and Lal, who both sustained serious injuries. Ask God to embolden Christians in India to proclaim the Gospel even while suffering.
For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to the India Country Report.
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