Christians houses and belongings on fire for following Jesus

even kids were peresecuted

Churches being broken and damaged

Bibles and church properties went into ashes

Hindu militants incited by the anti-Christian violence that has been escalating across India since August 23 and angered by allegedly "forced" conversions of Hindus to Christianity attacked more than a dozen churches throughout Karnataka in Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi Davangere and Chikmangalore on September 14. According to the Evangelical Fellowship of India, a mob attacked the 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 August 23, in Bangalore when Pastors were preaching Gospel in the street in early morning, more than 45 Hindu militant began to start beating the Pastors and soon they were dragged to the Police station along with 2 women believer. By afternoon there were 7 Pastors and 2 women believers beaten up and locked up in the prison just for sharing their Faith. Since then there has been a lot of peresecution of Christian believers and women being manhandled and churches being destroyed and Pastors being tortured. Raju, a well know citizen in this city by all as a good Samaritan was not spared, he too was arrested.

Morris working among more than 20000 needy children helped by his father also the Senior Pastor has been persecuted badly. His whole family serving in Ministry has been harassed continuously by Hindu militants, they even got attacked and were to be killed many times. Two years ago when the senior Pastor was traveling in the Car, more than 230 militants tried to burn him alive but had a narrow escape and survived. The Church premise which was used as a worship hall as well as Children’s Development Center for conducting various activities for needy children has been damaged. The life of his family is being threatened and targeted. The militants have also targeted to destroy atleast 150 Churches by the end of September in the City.

On September 14, Seven 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 dozen 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 dead after he refused to let the Hindu Militants to eneter the Convent and also for refusing to call the Nuns inside the convent to come outside.

In the state of Karala, a building that was used for both kindergarten classes and hosting church services was attacked and windows were smashed on September 15 along with many other Church buildings.

Also on September 14, a Pastor and other Christians were beaten badly by Hindu militants when they were gathered for worship in the home of a believer in Talatad village, Jharkhand. The believers were bleeding profusely and there was blood spill all along the way when they were forcibly taken to a Hindu temple where the militants demanded them to convert to Hinduism. Attacks on Christian homes and shops A paralyzed man who was in his house was unable to escape his burning house and was killed when the Hindu Militant set it on fire.

More than 4320 houses belonging to Christians have been reportedly burned to the ground by militants. Houses have also been ransacked, pelted with stones and vandalized. Christian-owned shops have been torched and looted. Many Christians have fled their homes and are seeking refuge in the jungle. Thousands of other Christians have fled to relief centres. There are reports of Hindus raiding these centres and Christian villages, threatening the Christians with violence if they do not convert to Hinduism immediately.

Burning the Christians and Church properties

Churches broken and properties being vandalised Innocent lives burned for believing in Christ Churches, mission buildings and schools throughout the state have been damaged, ransacked and destroyed in the attacks. Militants set fire to a social centre in the village of Nuagaon, Kandhamal district after gang-raping a Nun and made her to parade naked who was at the facility. An orphanage in the district of Rayagada, was burned to the ground. 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 56 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.

Anti-Christian violence erupts in India

Widespread mob violence against the Christian community in Orissa state began on August 24 following the assassination of Hindu 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 Maoists Terrorists stormed a religious centre in Kandhamal district and opened fire. Despite evidence indicating that Maoists Terrorists 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.

...india, a billion people nation...

India's racial, ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity is staggering. With over one billion people, it is the most populous functioning democracy in the world. Though the majority of the people are Hindu, India is a secular nation with constitutional freedoms of speech and religion and, generally speaking, the government works to protect those freedoms. The caste system is deeply entrenched in Indian society. Until the middle of the twentieth century, “The Untouchables” were for centuries regarded as the refuse of society. In 1950, their name was changed to “Dalits” and they were given a “Scheduled Caste” status. While most upper caste opinions remain the same to this day, the 1950 law guarantees a certain quota of Dalits in specific societal institutions. However, Dalit converts to other religions lose their Scheduled Caste status, thus denying them basic human rights in many cases. In August, 2005, Christian Dalits began revisiting a bill that had failed to reach legislative evaluation nine years before. If passed, the bill would allow them to maintain their special status so they could be assured a place in society. In the same month however, the Supreme Court actually rejected a plea from another religious group requesting minority status. The Supreme Court maintains that special status for a religious group of any sort only adds to tensions in society. They are, in fact, encouraging the National Commission for Minorities to help create a society in which notified minorities are gradually done away with completely, thus developing a unified society in which all person are considered equal. Christians have often faced opposition due to the deterioration of freedoms under the influence of militant Hindus at the federal level. However, Christians were encouraged by a surprising turn in the May 2004 election when the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP party was overthrown, and the secular National Congress Party was voted into power. Upon forming a coalition with several other parties in what is known as the United Progressive Alliance, their rise to power prompted almost immediate reformation in India. Anti-conversion laws have been tightened in seven states (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh), giving support to militant groups and resulting in ongoing violence against Christians. Reports of village churches being destroyed and church leaders being threatened by local Hindus continue to be a daily reality in India. Other persecution faced by Christians is more subtle, as converts to Christianity are often cast out of their families and face poverty and ostracism.

Pastor Assaulted by Hindu Extremists

On July 20, Pastor Abraham was assaulted by Hindu extremists in Haveri district, Karnataka state, India. “During a worship service at Friends Mission Prayer Band Church, in Konvallichawla village, 20 members of a radical Hindu group assaulted Pastor Abraham in the presence of his family and congregation. During the attack the mob destroyed all the Christian literature in the church, including Bibles.” The mob later took Pastor Abraham to a police station to have him arrested. “Due to the intensity of the attack, Pastor Brown collapsed at the police station. He was taken to a local government hospital where he is undergoing treatment for trauma,” .

Attacked by Extremists

Bangalore- On July 13, Hindu extremists disrupted a morning worship service at the Full Gospel Assembly Church in the village of Harapanahalli Taluk, Davangere district. According to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts in India, “Pastor Prakash Nayak and evangelist Kari Basappa were severely injured. The extremists also destroyed Bibles and song books in the attack.” On July 20, another church in the same district, the Gypsy Prayer Hall, was attacked by a group of Hindu militants. VOM contacts added, "At approximately 12:30 p.m., the extremists stormed into the church during a worship service and shouted insults and threats at believers present. Bibles and song books were burned. They dragged Pastor Naik and two other believers outside and beat them. The three were then taken to the local police station where they were accused of forcibly converting Hindus." On July 19, a Christian school teacher died after being beaten up by Muslim youth. “A group of protestors from the Muslim Youth League attacked James Augustin, Head Master of MLP School at Valillappuzha where he had gone to a textbook review meeting.” The Muslim Youth League held the protest to demand the removal of seventh grade social science textbooks they believed to be controversial. Pray the family members of the teacher will be comforted by the Holy Spirit as they mourn. Ask God to heal those injured in the attack. Pray believers in India remain faithful and courageous despite attacks from Hindu extremists. Ask God to help them forgive their persecutors and for their testimonies to draw nonbelievers into fellowship with Him.

horror of anti-Christian persecution in India

Sister Antolina Martinez de Maranon of the Daughters of Charity, who works in Bombay with leprosy, tuberculosis and AIDS patients, said in her letter that the violence began in Orissa, “but has now spread to many more states, even to the state we call the Rome of India, Bangalore, where our provincial house is located.” “Many churches have been profaned there, Masses have even been disrupted, priests and others have been beaten, many things have been destroyed, and they are sowing panic.” “Nobody is doing anything to stop the radicals from sowing panic and hatred in the minds of simple people and fear and insecurity in the minds of Christians,” Sister Martinez said.