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India

  • Update: Christians continue to be maligned and attacked in Orissa

    Hindu militants continue to malign Christians for the murder of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and target them in widespread violence that began in late August in Orissa, India (see links on India's Country Report for more information).

    Maoist groups have claimed responsibility for the murder and, on October 6, three Maoist individuals were arrested in connection with the crime. However, a Hindu militant group recently released a document that allegedly implicates the Christians: a copy of the minutes from a pastoral council meeting held in Kandhamal district in May during which the militants claim a plan to assassinate Swami was discussed. The pastoral council has vehemently denied the accuracy of the minutes, and claim that their signatures on the document were forged.

    Remember your brothers and sisters in India in your prayers. Ask God to give strength to those who suffer for His sake. Pray for peace in this terror-stricken region.

    For more information on the plight of Christians in India,click here. To watch a BBC video report about attacks on Christians in Orissa, click here.
  • Christians beaten and arrested

    Christians who were gathered for a three-day prayer meeting in Dumarbhavna village, Surguja district, Chhattisgarh state were viciously beaten on October 3, according to an October 13 report from Compass Direct. Around midnight, a mob of Hindu militants entered the house where the meeting was being held and attacked the sleeping Christians. Three believers -- Muneshwar Ekka, Beik, and Ravi Devangan -- were forced into vehicles belonging to the militants and brought to a secluded place where they were further beaten. Muneshwar Ekka and Beik were then told to beat Ravi Devangan or face their own death. In fear for their lives, they beat Devangan until he was unconscious.

    When local Christians reported the beating to the police the next day, they were assured that if they did not file a complaint against the militants, no complaints would be filed against the three Christians. However, the police later registered a "forcible conversion" case against the men. Another Christian, Fakir Chand Toppo, was falsely accused of the same charge. If found guilty, they could be fined or imprisoned for up to a year. At last report, the four were detained in a local jail.

    Pray for these men as they await a sentence. Pray that those who falsely accuse Christians of forcible conversion will understand that the Good News is a free gift, not coercion, and respond in faith to Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

    To learn more about the struggles of Christians in India, please visit theIndia Country Report.
  • More Christians killed in anti-Christian violence Orissa

    At least three more Christians have been killed over in the widespread violence that began seven weeks ago in Orissa state's Kandhamal district (see links on India's Country Report for more information).

    On October 1, an elderly Christian, Lalji Nayak, died from axe wounds he received when a mob of Hindu militants attacked the village of Hrudangia the previous day. His wife, also attacked with an axe, was seriously injured in the head and his brother has been hospitalized with multiple gunshot wounds.

    On October 2, two men were dragged out of their home in Sindhipankha village, shot and then dismembered. The assailants also massacred cattle belonging to village Christians and burned Christian-owned houses. Approximately 400 homes have been set on fire by militants in in Kandhamal and Boudh district over the past week.

    Pray that those who mourn will find peace in the fact that those who have suffered with Christ will be glorified with Him (Romans 8:15-17). Pray for healing for those injured. Pray that Christians in India will
    continue to live as cross-bearing disciples and remain steadfast in
    faith at all cost.

    To find out more about the plight of Christians in India,click here.
  • Christians targeted by bombs in relief camps in Orissa


    Christians have fled to refugee camps, hoping to find safety
    Photo from    AsiaNews
    For the sixth week, VOMC continues to receive reports of violence against Christians in Orissa, India (see links at India's Country Report for more information). On the evening of September 29, Christians in three relief camps in Kandhamal district were the targets of bomb attacks. The explosions began at approximately 7:00 p.m. and went off in the villages of Nuagoan and Mahasinghi and the town of Baliguda. Hindu militants continue to use violence and intimidation against Christians in the camps in an attempt to forcibly convert them. Several Christian families in the camps succumbed to pressure from militants and "reconverted" to Hinduism in exchange for being allowed to return to their homes in Ladapadar village. Fresh violence is also persisting outside the Kandhamal camps, including burnings and bombings of homes and church buildings.

    Pray for safety and protection for believers in the relief camps. Pray that Christians in India will stand firm in their faith despite severe pressure to deny Christ.

    More information on the persecution of Christians in India is availablehere.
  • States warned by federal government to control anti-Christian attacks

    India's federal government has formally warned Orissa and Karnataka to control the anti-Christian violence that has continued into its fifth week following the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati by suspected Maoists (click here for more information). The warning came through Article 355, which states: "It shall be the duty of the Union to protect every State against external aggression and internal disturbance and to ensure that the government of every State is carried on in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution." If the warning against the two states goes unheeded, the federal government could impose Article 356, which grants the federal government emergency rule.

    Despite the warning, VOMC continues to receive reports of attacks on Christians in both states and throughout the country. In Orissa's Kandhamal district, a Christian man was hacked to death by militants who stopped him and his wife while they were fleeing to a relief camp in the town of Phulbani on September 20. His wife was able to escape the scene unharmed. Arson attacks on at least 10 houses and kidnappings of Christians have been reported. A young Christian woman was dragged from a relief camp into a nearby jungle where she was gang raped by militants. In Karnataka, seven Christians were arrested and detained on charges of forcible conversion in Thalikare village on September 20 and four churches, three in the city of Bangalore and one in Kodagu district, were ransacked and vandalized by militants.

    Pray for an end to this wave of brutal violence. Pray that believers under attack will set Christ apart as Lord and not give in to fear (1 Peter 3:14-17). Pray that those who persecute Christians will come to repentance and faith in Christ.

    To learn more about trials facing Christians in India,click here.
  • Violence continues across India

    VOMC continues to receive reports of violence against Christians throughout India.

    Hindu militants incited by the anti-Christian violence that has been escalating across Orissa since August 23 and angered by allegedly "forced" conversions of Hindus to Christianity attacked more than a dozen churches throughout Karnataka on September 14. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, a mob attacked two church buildings in the village of Puthur, Dakshina Kannada district. Windows, lights, and furniture in one church building were destroyed while the other building was burned. Christians in the town of Talguppa, Shimoga district have received threats of violence from the militants if they continue conducting worship services.

    On September 14, two pastors were attacked by Hindu militants in Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh. Another pastor was beaten by a militant group after he filed a written complaint to the police against the local leader of the group.

    A church building was burned down on September 13 by Hindu militants in Indore city, Madhya Pradesh. On September 16, a guard at a convent in Banduha village was shot after he refused to call the nuns inside the convent to come outside.

    In the state of Kerala, a building that was used for both kindergarten classes and hosting church services was attacked and windows were smashed on September 14.

    Also on September 14, a pastor and other Christians were beaten by Hindu militants when they were gathered for worship in the home of a believer in Talatad village, Jharkhand. The believers were forcibly taken to a Hindu temple were the militants demanded they convert to Hinduism.

    A more thorough report by Compass Direct on these incidents can be viewed here.

    Please uphold our brothers and sisters in India during these days of tribulation. Ask God to give the Christians an attitude of forgiveness and love for those who have so openly expressed their opposition to them (Luke 6:29).

    For more information on the persecution of Christians in India,click here.
  • Violence against Christians continues for third week in Orissa

    Hindu militants continue to use the late August assassination of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati as a pretext to attack and kill Christians throughout Orissa state, refusing to accept the Maoists' claim of responsibility for the murder.

    On September 13, an irate mob torched a church building in the village of Anchhla, Koraput district. In another incident, a Christian man was killed by militants in the town of Raikia. On September 14, twelve homes belonging to Christians were burned in the village of Makabali. Militants have even launched attacks on the police for intervening in the violence.

    Christians fear they will continue to be targeted, particularly since militants have prepared a list of approximately 140 Christians whom they allege were Saraswati's killers. The list is being distributed among Hindu supporters in order to identify who should be punished or killed in case the government fails to take action to their satisfaction.

    Pray that the perpetrators of these attacks will come to repentance and salvation. Ask God to strengthen the thousands of Christians affected by the violence to remain steadfast in faith (Revelation 2:10). Pray for full and lasting peace in this persecution-torn region.

    To learn more about Christians suffering for righteousness' sake in India, visit theIndia Country Report.
  • Anti-Christian attacks spread across India

    The violence in Orissa sparked by the recent assassination of Hindu leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati has emboldened Hindu militants in nearby states to launch attacks on Christians.

    On September 5, four members of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity order were attacked by approximately 20 Bajrang Dal activists at the Durgh train station in Chhattisgarh state. The two nuns and two helpers were forced off the train and handed over to police officers by a mob chanting anti-Christian slogans. They were accused of the "kidnapping and forced conversion" of four babies between one and two years old whom they were transporting (with proper documentation) from Raipur to the Shishu Bhava charity centre in Bhopal. The nuns were detained overnight and the babies taken to a government hospital. At last report, the children have still not been returned to the sisters.


    St. Bartholomew Church after the destruction
    Photo from    GCIC
    On September 7, the 86-year-old St. Bartholomew Church building was burned down in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh. Although the church watchman has accepted blame for the arson attack, local Christians argue that the police are protecting the Hindu militant groups truly responsible. In Kolar district, Karnataka, Hindu militants stormed into another church building, tore up Bibles, hymnals and curtains, and beat several members present. The militants seized the pastor and took him to a nearby temple where he was pressured into observing Hindu rituals. He was released only after he gave the militants a written declaration stating that he would not return to the village or continue any church activities.

    Pray that Christians under attack will know God's care and provision. Pray for Christians to be strong in the face of pressure to deny Christ. Pray that the international community will voice deep concern for the Christians in India who are being persecuted for their faith (Proverbs 31:8-9).

    To learn more about the situation Christians face in India, click here.
  • Christians continue to be terrorized by Hindu militants in Orissa

    The violence against Christians in Orissa, India has continued into its second week following the assassination of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on August 23 (click here for more) with no immediate end in sight. According to a September 4 report from the Evangelical Fellowship of India, the Christian death toll has reached 42.

    Relief camps in Orissa have been targeted by militants attempting to poison water supplies. Six Christians became ill in a relief camp in the town of Raikia after drinking poisoned water and there have been reports of similar attempts in other state camps. Several reports of Christians being threatened with violence if they refuse to convert to Hinduism have also been received.

    As members of one Body, please remember India's Christians in your prayers. Pray that, as sufferings overflow, their comfort in Christ will be more than enough for them (2 Corinthians 1:5). Ask God to bring peace and restoration to this area.

    To view a recent investigative report by the Indian television broadcaster IBN, click here. For more information on India's persecuted Christians, go toIndia's Country Report.
  • Anti-Christian violence erupts in Orissa, India

    Anti-Christian violence erupts in Orissa, India

    Widespread mob violence against the Christian community in Orissa state began on August 24 following the assassination of World Hindu Council (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on the evening of August 23. Saraswati, the leader allegedly responsible for inciting attacks on Christians in Orissa's Kandhamal district last Christmas, was killed along with four of his followers when approximately 30 armed men stormed a religious centre in Kandhamal district and opened fire. Despite evidence indicating that Maoists are responsible for Saraswati's murder, several Hindu militant groups have blamed Christians. As a result, Hindu militants have launched attacks on Christians throughout the state, setting buildings on fire and beating and killing believers in at least 12 districts. The Voice of the Martyrs has been receiving numerous reports from various sources on this developing crisis. At present, it is difficult to know the full extent of what is happening in Orissa.

    Churches and Christian missions destroyed

    The Bethel Association orphanage before the destruction
    Churches, mission buildings and schools throughout the state have been damaged, ransacked or destroyed in the attacks. Militants set fire to a social centre in the village of Nuagaon, Kandhamal district after gang-raping a nun who was at the facility. The Bethel Association, an orphanage in the district of Rayagada, was burned to the ground.
    Firefighters douse flames at the Bargarh orphanage
    Photo from    AICC

    The mission was home to 150 children, many of them from families who have suffered persecution for their faith. In Bargarh district, another orphanage was torched and a young woman was burned alive after she was thrown inside the building when she tried to protect the children. At least 20 churches have reportedly been destroyed, but the extent of the damage has not been ascertained as reports continue to be released from the affected regions.

    Attacks on Christian homes and shops

    150 houses belonging to Christians have been reportedly burned to the ground by militants in the village of Rupagaon, Kandhamal alone. A paralyzed man was unable to escape his burning house and was killed. Houses have also been ransacked, pelted with stones and vandalized throughout the state. Christian-owned shops have been torched and looted. Many Christians have fled their homes and are seeking refuge in the jungle.

    Although police have attempted to protect Christians and end the attacks in Orissa, the violence has continued to occur. Militant groups have blocked roads with logs in order to keep the police away. Christian groups continue to beseech government authorities to intervene and end the violence.

    Pray that law and order will be restored in Orissa state. Pray that those responsible for these attacks will be brought to justice. Ask God to give strength to Christians in Orissa state to remain steadfast in their faith in this time of severe suffering (1 Peter 5:8-10). Pray for those who have lost loved ones and property in the riots.

    To view a video report on the violence in Orissa, visit VOMC's weblog at persecutedchurch.blogspot.com. For more information on the persecution of Christians in India, go to the India Country Report.

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