Tags

India

• Hindu Militants Attack Woman and Threaten Her Ministering Family

  Pray for her quick recovery. Photo: AsiaNews

  The mother of a Pentecostal pastor in Rajapark, Jaipur, was brutally attacked by Hindu militants who sought to kill her son and his wife. On August 13th, at 2:30 p.m., 51-year-old Reena Behl answered the door of her son's house to find four men who she says were disguised with helmets, demanding to see her son, Rev. Vishaal Behl, and his wife. When they were told that she was unaware of the couple's whereabouts, they pushed her aside and entered the house, breaking items and threatening to kill the couple. As Reena cried for help, the men pinned her to the floor and beat her. "If you do not convert to Hinduism, we will kill you and cut you to pieces," they told her. The only other person home was her elderly mother-in-law. Neighbours hurried to Reena's defense, at which point the militants fled. Reena was soon hospitalized with a head wound and a fractured hand.

• Madhya Pradesh State Proposes Restrictions on Religious Freedom

  As World Watch Monitor reports, Christians in Madhya Pradesh, India, could soon face serious religious restrictions due to potential changes to the state’s Freedom of Religion Act. Widely known as “anti-conversion laws,” provisions in the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act prohibit citizens from forcing others to convert to another religion. Critics contend that it has been widely misused to criminalize willful converts and proselytizers.

• Christian Beheaded for Refusing to Renounce Faith

  Pray that many Hindus will come to know the Lord. Photo: Flickr / wallygrom

  It is reported that a Christian man was beheaded in Teliamura town, West Tripura, India, on May 25th for refusing to renounce Christ. According to reports, Tapas Bin, 35, had been under heavy pressure from his father-in-law to abandon Christianity. According to police, Tapas married Jentuly, the daughter of 55-year-old Gobinda Jamatiya, three years ago. Prior to this, the Christian man had been a private tutor of Gobinda's daughter.

  Since the marriage, Gobinda had been pressuring Tapas to abandon Christianity and join his tribal religion. When Tapas persistently refused, Gobinda decided to kill his son-in-law with the help of a shaman, Krishnapada Jamatiya (no relation). Police arrested the 42-year-old shaman but were unable to find Gobinda who works at the West Tripura
  Science and Technology Department and is thought to be on the run.

  Jentuly, now the widowed mother of a one-year-old child, told police that her father did not recognize their marriage and had pressured Tapas to convert. What is more, "My father might kill me and my son too," she fearfully admits. Commenting on the incident, an area church leader states, "Christians in Teliamura are facing discrimination and problems because of their faith in Christ. We have ceased all kinds of Christian activities in the area." For past reports of persecution, go to the India Country Report.

  Pray for God's protection over Jentuly and her infant son, as well as all Christians living in the town of Teliamura. May Tapas' grieving family and friends experience the comforting presence of Jesus during this difficult time. Please also intercede for the perpetrators of this heinous crime...that they would sincerely repent, turn from their wicked ways, and come to know the saving grace of our Lord Jesus.

• Judicial System Resolves Missionary's Murder

  The Staines family before the tragedy took place

  Fourteen years after Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons were burnt to death by a right-wing mob, two more suspects were recently arrested from Odisha's (formerly known as Orissa) Keonjhar district.

  It is reported that long-sought fugitives Ghanshyam Mahanta and Ramjan Mahanta were finally arrested on May 17th during a raid by CBI officials and the Keonjhar police. A third individual has still not been located.

  At the time of the horrific incident, Graham Staines, 58, and his sons Philip and Timothy were burnt to death on January 22nd, 1999, by a mob led by Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh. Graham and his sons were asleep in their station wagon in front of a church in Manoharpur village in Keonjhar, about 400 kilometres northwest of Bhubaneswar.

  According to recent news reports, numerous people had been previously arrested for their involvement in the crime, while the search continued for the remaining three perpetrators. In 2003, a Central Bureau of Investigation court in Bhubaneswar initially sentenced Dara Singh with the death penalty and the others to life imprisonment. In 2005, the Odisha high court commuted the activist leader's death sentence to life imprisonment.

  While we can be thankful that justice is being meted out on behalf of the Staines family, may the Lord continue to use their testimony in the lives of all they so lovingly served in India. Pray that He will continue to nurture the seeds of the Gospel that have been sown through this family's strong Christian witness and the forgiveness extended by Graham's surviving wife Gladys and their daughter Esther. As a result of His ongoing work, may these seeds bear much good fruit in the lives of the people within this community and beyond.

• Pastor Beaten During Church Service

  A pastor in Uttar Pradesh state was recently attacked and beaten during a church service. Near the end of the service, a group of Hindu men attacked Pastor "Caleb" by tying him to a tree and beating him. The attackers, who apparently were directed by Hindu leaders in the village, broke Pastor Caleb's arm during the beating.

  VOM partners are helping to provide him with medical treatment, while also urging police to prosecute the attackers. Pastor Caleb's church had been threatened in the past by high caste families. It is understood that about five Christian families who have faithfully remained with the church had angered villagers by refusing to offer a gift to a Hindu goddess.

  A group from the village also became angry when the Christian families refused to help with the wedding of a high caste family's daughter. Despite the recent attack, Pastor "Caleb" plans on continuing his ministry service in this volatile community. To learn more about the challenges faced by believers in this part of the world, please go to the India Country Report.

  While we are thankful to the Lord for Pastor Caleb's faithfulness and willingness to continue in ministry, we also pray that he will be completely healed of the afflictions imposed on him during the attack. May the loving concern and assistance of our VOM partners serve to further encourage and strengthen this dedicated man of God. As a result of his faithfulness, may many others be spurred on to preach the Gospel (Philippians 1:14) and win others for Christ.

• Pastor Released After Years of Confinement

  Pastor Samuel Photo: Gospel for Asia

  Following eight years of detainment due to false accusations, Pastor Samuel was joyfully released on March 13th. Although he was cleared of all the charges back in 2010, strikes and delayed court hearings had greatly hindered his release. Throughout this time, however, he continued ministering to the other prisoners. Thankfully, many of them made decisions for Christ as a result! Pastor Samuel's family, including his wife and 8-year-old daughter, are rejoicing over his final return home. Pray that God will immensely bless this reunited family, while continuing the wonderful work of faith that has begun in the lives of the prisoners. For an historical overview of this country, go to the India Country Report.

• Christian Villagers Assaulted by Angry Mob

  Pray for the safety of women being harassed for their faith in India. Photo: Flickr / Michael Foley

  On January 14th, three Christian women were attacked by Hindu extremists in Tamsai village (located near Navi, Mumbai). The incident took place while they were washing clothes at a public well. It all began because the 12-year-old daughter of one of the Christian women listened to Gospel songs on a mobile phone, causing the other villagers nearby to become irritated. These angry people protested that Christian music should not be played within their hearing range.

  Eventually, the number of enraged villagers increased, developing into a mob of about 50 people. After gathering near the houses of the Christian women, those in the mob physically assaulted them. Apparently, the Hindu extremists of Tamsai are strongly opposed to the use of Christian worship during healing services. Yet despite their anti-Christian actions, and the resulting violence against believers, it has been reported that many Hindus in the vicinity are coming to Christ. For more about the situation in India, please go to the India Country Report.

  Pray that God will protect and bless the Christians of Tamsai village, and that His divine healing touch would minister powerfully to the women who were injured in the attack. May these believers have the assurance that God is their refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Let's also remember to pray for the salvation and spiritual deliverance of the Hindu extremists...that they, too, would experience a radical change of heart through the power of Christ's unfailing love.

• Extremists Attack Satellite Church in Bangalore

  

  It has just been brought to our attention by VOM partners in India that Hindu extremists recently attacked a satellite church that was working among the extremely poor in Bangalore. The perpetrators entered the church while the service was taking place. Thankfully, most of those who participated in the service had safely escaped, with the exception of two church workers who were badly beaten.

  To date, the police have not registered a complaint due to their concern over political ramifications. However, they have assured the pastor that strong policing tactics will be used so the extremists won't attack the church again. (Note other reports on India that are included in the India Country Report.)

  Please keep this Bangalore pastor and congregation in prayer, including the two men who were injured in the attack. May the landlord who rents the premises to the church not withdraw permission for it to carry on. Last, but not least, please intercede for the perpetrators and others in the community who desperately need God's mercy, forgiveness and eternal salvation.

• Tribal Christians Brutally Beaten

  Pray that the perpetrators will come to know the Lord.

  As a result of two recent attacks by Hindu extremists, more than 100 Christian villagers have been forced to flee from Tamsai (in Thane District of Maharashtra State) for "rejecting their tribal identity." Apparently, the Hindu nationalists involved in the attacks were angered that these converts to Christianity no longer practised their traditional tribal religions. Equally alarming is the fact that about 20 police officers failed to intervene, but rather passively stood by, prompting concern of anti-Christian bias being represented by the police force.

  The first brutal assault took place on December 30th when the believers did not participate in a festival celebrating a tribal deity. Many of these victims fled from their homes after being beaten with wooden clubs. More recently, a large mob of extremists physically assaulted a group of Christians who met to worship in a private home. Prior to these attacks, local Christians were receiving unfair treatment from their neighbours by being denied access to water, firewood and their monthly supply of grains at the local ration shop. To learn more about the challenges experienced by fellow believers in India, check the India Country Report.

  Pray that God's perfect love will drive out all fear from the hearts of these suffering tribal Christians. Ask Him to bring healing and comfort to them, especially after experiencing brutal attacks of persecution. May those in authority uphold and properly defend the religious rights of all citizens in this area, serving as a catalyst of peace between the different faith groups.

• Update: Court Sentences Perpetrators of Violent Attacks in Odisha (Orissa)

  Damages from the 2008 violence

  On November 27th, a total of 12 people were sentenced to six years' imprisonment for their involvement in the horrific communal violence committed against Christians in the Kandhamal district on August 25th of 2008. These violent acts included arson, rioting and the torching of houses in Jarkinaju village, attributing to about a hundred deaths and the displacement of more than 50,000 people. It is considered the worst single outbreak of anti-Christian violence in the history of post-independence India. For more on the status of Christians in this country, go to the India Country Report.

  While it seems that justice is being meted out, the overwhelming majority of cases relating to the 2008 events have either been dismissed or resulted in acquittals, including many murder cases. Human rights defenders in the area are continuing in their vigil, pointing out significant flaws in the court's rulings. David Griffiths, South Asia Team Leader for CSW, concludes that this is important as the victims not only deserve justice, but also because "the rule of law is the essential foundation for peace."

  On behalf of the many surviving victims of these terrible atrocities, may the "Prince of Peace" continue to bring healing, restoration and the hope of a brighter future; a future filled with His ongoing presence and provision as they rebuild their lives. And in accordance to Scripture, we must pray for their persecutors who are also greatly in need God's touch upon their lives. May they, too, be drawn to the "Light of Jesus" and, as a result, come to repentance...acknowledging their need of Jesus as Saviour before it's too late.