Christian Freedom International

Recent Incidents of Persecution

CFI News

Friday, 09 May 2008 17:41

Andhra Pradesh,--(Compass Direct News) – About 50 Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on April 15 beat two independent pastors in Devarakonda village, Nalgonda district, Andhra Pradesh. Attacked for distributing Christian literature, one pastor received hospital treatment for stomach injuries and the other for a bone fracture, according to Dr. Sajan K. George, national president of the Global Council of Indian Christians. Pastors John Kumar and Nathan Mark of Anumala village, Nalgonda district were on their way to Anjiah colony in Devarakonda village for a prayer meeting at the house of pastor Surabaram Stephen, distributing Christian tracts to a few village children, George said. As they were returning home at about 6:30 p.m., the Hindu extremists at their bus stop angrily questioned them about the tracts and their reason for visiting the village. “They abused the pastors in filthy language and repeatedly punched and kicked them on their stomachs and backs,” George said. “The extremists also stoned them and encouraged village children to do the same.” Pastor Arun Babu, a member of the Independent Pastors’ Fellowship, told Compass that the pastors were admitted at District Headquarters Government Hospital Nalagonda. “Kumar’s left arm was fractured, and Mark sustained internal stomach injuries,” Pastor Babu said. On April 16, the pastors filed a First Information Report at a local police station and the next day police arrested two Hindu extremists, Vidya Sagar and Vijay Yadhav, who were charged with criminal intimidation and causing hurt with dangerous weapons. They were released on bail the same day. – NC   Andhra Pradesh – Hindu extremists surrounded and harassed pastor Thumula Johnson of Manna Ministry and 12 members of a Gospel Mission team in village Kishtapuram, Warangal district on April 2. Pastor Johnson led the Gospel Mission team to Rayaparthi mandal (a community hub with administrative oversight of 30 to 40 villages in Andhra Pradesh), where they distributed tracts and New Testaments in surrounding villages throughout the day, pastor Ravi Kumar, district elder of Manna Ministries from Warangal, told Compass. As the team was distributing literature and preaching in Kishtapuram, the last village they had scheduled for the day, the village head caught hold of them and started to question them. “He expressed his distress over the distribution of Christian tracts and assaulted the Christians verbally,” Pastor Kumar said. The missionaries started to leave peacefully, but the village head gathered around 50 others and ordered them to surround the vehicle and keep them from going. The mob harassed the Christians for three hours, ordering them without success to shout slogans such as, “Christ be brought down, hail Hindu gods,” Pastor Kumar said, adding that one missionary was slapped. “The mob quizzed the missionaries as to why they did not apply tilak [Hindu ritual mark on the forehead] even when they are Indians,” Pastor Kumar said. “They then burned all the New Testaments and other Christian literature and forcibly applied tilak on the foreheads of the missionaries.” Local media arrived and contributed only to the anti-Christian propaganda, he said. – SB Andhra Pradesh – Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Medak district, Andhra Pradesh on April 6 attacked 30 Christians at Sunday worship, accusing an independent pastor of forcible conversion, demanding that his house church cease meeting and ordering him to leave Mulugu village. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said that at about 11:30 a.m. around 100 intolerant Hindus gathered outside the Yesu Christi Prathna Mandiram (Jesus Christ Prayer House) shouting anti-Christian slogans and Hindu devotional chants. Pastor Yesu Raju told Compass that the mob, led by local RSS chief Ghanda Narasaiahand Naresh, “even produced a false witness named Ghanda Narasaiah, who accused me of alluring Hindu villagers to convert to Christianity.” Pastor Raju denied the allegation. The extremists then slapped and hit the believers, damaged a cross, chairs and musical instruments in the church and left after 90 minutes. The pastor, who moved to a neighboring village, refused to file a police complaint, saying by doing so he would put at risk the lives of believers in the village. No worship was held on April 13 and April 20, according to George. – NC