The persecution of Christians in India is escalating. Note that this is not just mob violence, but is in this case (and others we have seen) sanctioned by Indian officials: “the police, once it arrived at the place, did nothing. It did not allow Christians to file a complaint against the attackers nor let the injured get medical certificates for their injuries.” As Christianity continues to grow in the country, Hindu radicals are increasingly threatened, and are lashing out more frequently, with no pushback from law enforcement officials. Please pray that peace would prevail for the Christians in India, and that the light of Holy Orthodoxy would again dawn in this land to which St. Thomas the Apostle first brought the Gospel.
“Christians beaten during prayer in Uttar Pradesh,” by Nirmala Carvalho, Asia News, February 9, 2019:
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – A mob of Hindu radicals attacked a group of Protestants during a prayer service led by Rev Ranjit. The incident occurred on Thursday in Chapar, a village in Sultanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
The faithful “were severely beaten,” said Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), speaking to AsiaNews. “They did not even spare women.”
“The GCIC condemns these acts of violence,” he added. “Intolerance towards Christians in Uttar Pradesh is spiralling upward and religious freedom is pulverised by fanatical elements.”
According to the Christian leader, the event “is a shame on secular India. It is also a disgrace for the dignity of women, who were victimised in the attack and beaten.”
The raid took place at a prayer gathering. A crowd of 25 Hindu radicals broke into the clergyman’s house and began insulting those present. This escalated into slapping and hitting with sticks. Three members of the prayer group – Rakesh, Mukesh and Bhanu Pratap – suffered serious injuries.
The extremists also set some copies of the Bible on fire.
What is most regrettable for Sajan K George, “is that the police, once it arrived at the place, did nothing. It did not allow Christians to file a complaint against the attackers nor let the injured get medical certificates for their injuries.”…
