NEW DELHI (Compass Direct News) – Charges that a pastor in Jammu and Kashmir state “lured” Muslims to Christianity by offering money are false and have put the lives of the clergyman and other Christians in danger, according to Bishop Pradeep Kumar Samantaroy of the Church of North India denomination.

Following the arrest on Saturday (Nov. 17) of the Rev. Chander Mani Khanna, pastor of All Saints Church in Srinagar, Bishop Samantaroy told Compass by phone that the time has come for the church to speak up against the “discriminatory action” by authorities in India’s Kashmir Valley.

The bishop of the Amritsar Diocese said the pastor told him his life was in danger, as the charges have angered area Muslims. The government must provide protection to the pastor, churches and Christian institutions “immediately,” he said.

The allegations of allurement appear to have turned Muslim clergy and separatist leaders against the Christians. Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute between India, Pakistan and China, even as many Kashmiris call for separation from India. Two prominent leaders of the separatist movement, Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have met religious leaders to prevent “conversions.”

A court in Srinagar on Sunday (Nov. 18) remanded Pastor Khanna to judicial custody for 15 days, a representative of the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s advocacy wing told Compass. Pastor Khanna was arrested for creating “enmity” between religious communities and hurting religious sentiments.

Bishop Samantaroy said the allegation made by Kashmir Grand Mufti Bashir-ud-din Ahmad, the state’s highest official of Islamic law, that Pastor Khanna had converted Muslims by offering money was “totally baseless and untrue.”

Ahmad has a video of Muslims being baptized in Pastor Khanna’s church, which he said was evidence on which to file a police complaint of fraudulent conversion, although the video only shows a baptism ceremony. The Constitution of India grants religious freedom to all, allowing them to propagate and change their religion or have no religion at all.

Superintendent of Police of East Srinagar Sheikh Zulfkar Azad, however, told Compass there was “certain evidence” of allurement by Pastor Khanna, though he did not specify it.

“I am in hospital for treatment, and that’s all I can say at the moment,” he said.

Seven youths who were baptized, as shown in the video, have denied to police that they were offered money to convert, a local Christian told Compass. But some local newspapers have quoted anonymous police sources as claiming the converts were given money.

A source who requested anonymity previously told Compass that police beat the converts from Islam when asking them if Christians had given them money for their conversion (see  “Police Detain, Beat Converts from Islam in India“.

Police arrested Pastor Khanna two days after the mufti held a hearing on conversions in the sharia (Islamic law) court he heads. Although sharia courts in India deal only in civil matters with community people’s cooperation and do not have any legal authority, the mufti had summoned the pastor to appear for the hearing. The pastor agreed in an effort to maintain peace.

On the pretext of meeting with a senior police official, police picked up Pastor Khanna at his residence on Saturday evening (Nov. 17). After arresting him, officers did not inform his family, nor was the pastor given any written communication concerning the charges, the bishop said.

Police later brought Pastor Khanna to his home as they searched for evidence. They took CDs and literature for examination and kept him in custody.

Bishop Samantaroy said Kashmir’s Bar Association had asked its members not to defend the pastor. The church has asked a lawyer from Jammu, a Hindu-majority region in the state, to apply for his bail.

He also said he was worried about Pastor Khanna’s health. The pastor is diabetic and needs daily medical attention, and the bishop said he has learned that the doctor looking after him has a poor attitude toward him.

The pastor earlier told Compass that the Muslim youths had been coming to the church on their own initiative and wanted to take part in Holy Communion. Pastor Khanna told them they had to follow a procedure if they wanted to join in the sacrament, and they expressed desire to be baptized in due course.

Barring a few sporadic incidents of communal violence, Christians and Muslims had had good relations in Kashmir. Tensions began in March 2003 after local newspapers alleged that Christian missionaries were converting Muslim youth. Reports of conversions followed an article in an evangelical Christian website in the United States that claimed thousands of Muslim youths were converting to Christianity, which local Christians say was not true.

In November 2006, a convert from Islam, Bashir Ahmed Tantray, was shot dead by Islamist extremists in Barmullah district. Tantray’s name had appeared in newspaper reports.

In September 2010, Muslim mobs burned a school and a church in Tangmarg district after a television channel showed U.S. pastor Terry Jones burning the Quran.

NEW DELHI (Compass Direct News) – Police in India’s Kashmir Valley detained and beat converts from Islam and were expected to arrest Christian workers after Muslim leaders alleged that Muslim youth were being “lured” to Christianity.

Police in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley picked up seven converts who were recently baptized in All Saints Church in Srinagar, a local Christian who spoke to the converts after their release on Nov. 2 told Compass. Srinagar is the summer capital of the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir and the main city of the Kashmir Valley.

The source, who requested anonymity, said police beat the converts and asked if Christians had given them money for their conversion. Most of the converts were from Budgam district, about 18 miles from Srinagar, and pastors there fearful of being arrested were in hiding, he added.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Srinagar Ashiq Bukhari was not available for comment.

Police got the names of the converts and pastors from a video recording of the baptism provided by Kashmir’s grand mufti (the highest official of religious law), Bashir-ud-din Ahmad. The video was later posted on YouTube.

The Rev. Chander Mani Khanna, pastor of All Saints Church, told Compass that he had been summoned by the mufti, who is also the head of the sharia (Islamic law) court. He said he would meet Ahmad on Nov. 17.

The court had issued the summons for Saturday (Nov. 12), but Pastor Khanna had a prior engagement.

India, home to the world’s third-largest Muslim population, has a few sharia courts pertaining only to civil matters.

Ahmad alleged that Pastor Khanna, whose church is affiliated with the Church of North India (CNI) denomination, was converting young Muslim men and women by offering money, and that therefore he must be arrested. The mufti told media that the video was definitive evidence that Muslims were being “lured” to Christianity, although it only shows the baptism ceremony.

Pastor Khanna said the young men converted of their own will and without his persuasion.

The Indian constitution provides for religious freedom, including the right to propagate and the right to change one’s religion.

The pastor told Compass that the former Muslims, who were baptized at his church facility in August, were willing to sign affidavits saying there was no duress or allurement.

“That’s what they told the police also,” he said.

Pastor Khanna said his church is located in the heart of Srinagar, and that many Muslims come to attend worship service on Sundays.

“I have never gone to anyone’s house to share about Jesus,” he said. ‘But in the church, it is my responsibility to preach God’s Word. I can’t refuse anyone. The house of God is open for all.”

The pastor said the Muslim youths had been coming to the church on their own initiative and wanted to take part in Holy Communion. Pastor Khanna told them they had to follow a procedure if they really wanted to join in the sacrament, and they expressed desire to be baptized in due course.

“I can’t convert anyone; it is the work of the Holy Spirit,” he added. “And what do I teach in the church? God’s love and how to be good citizens and good human beings … I have never shown disrespect for the Quran.”

Pastor Khanna said there were many people, some with cameras, at the baptism ceremony.

“If it was meant to be a secret or illegal activity, we wouldn’t have allowed cameras,” he said.

Kashmir’s civil society had shown support, he added, as the church had helped build about 600 homes for the poor, apart from providing other services in the region.

Kashmir police reportedly acted on the mufti’s complaint because conversion is a sensitive issue.

“The decision to book the seven was taken at the highest level to avoid possible unrest in the Valley,” The Times of India reported.

Kashmir has only a few hundred Christians. The whole state, which has a population of more than 10 million, has little more than 20,000 Christians – mostly from the Hindu-majority Jammu region.

Christians have generally had good relations with the Muslims, but there have been some sporadic incidents of violence.

Local Muslims resorted to violence last year after a television channel showed U.S. pastor Terry Jones of Florida burning the Quran. In September 2010, Muslim mobs burned a school and a church belonging to the CNI in Tangmarg district. A month earlier, Muslims had attempted to burn a hospital in Anantnag district, but security forces managed to prevent it. A mob had also vandalized a Catholic-run school in Pulwama district.

In November 2006, a known voluntary Christian worker, Bashir Ahmed Tantray, was shot dead by Islamist extremists in Barmullah district. An engineer by profession, the 50-year-old Tantray was a convert from Islam.

Tensions have been simmering in Kashmir since March 2003, when national and local newspapers alleged that Christian missionaries were converting Muslim youths en masse in Kashmir. Tantray’s name also appeared in the reports.

Allegations of conversions by allurement hit the headlines after an evangelical Christian website in the United States claimed that thousands of Muslim young men and women were converting to Christianity – which, local Christians say, is not true.

Kashmir lies at the heart of a bitter territorial dispute between India, Pakistan and China, and there are also local movements in Kashmir that resist India’s rule.

Kerala, India (Compass Direct News) – The government on Oct. 20 deported U.S. evangelist William Lee, blacklisted him and prohibited him from visiting India again after police arrested him on Oct. 14 for participation in a musical concert in Kaloor Stadium, Cochin and jailed him for allegedly violating terms of his visa by preaching, according to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). Lee participated in an in-door musical program organized by Faith Leaders Church of Lord, Tiruvalla. After three days in jail, the evangelist complained of chest pain and was admitted to a hospital. The Ernakulam magistrate’s court fined him 10,000 rupees (US$202). The GCIC condemned Lee’ arrest as selective, releasing a statement that, “The moral policing, sectarian violence and the selective arrest of Christian evangelists demonstrate very clearly a failure of secular institutions in India.”

Karnataka – On Oct. 17 in Sullia, South Kanara, Hindu extremists along the with village head exhumed the body of a Christian woman, alleging that Christians were guilty of an illegal burial. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that a pastor identified only as Moses V. conducted the funeral service of Asha Latha of Bethsaida Assembly of God Church on land he had bought as a burial ground. Just as the Christians had completed the ceremony and interned the body, the village head and about 100 extremists forced them to exhume the body and bury it elsewhere and complained to Sullia police. Officers arrived and took the pastor to the police station. As Christians buried Latha’s body on her land at Ivara Nadu, police questioned the pastor till about midnight, GCIC reported. He was released only after area leaders’ intervention, but on Oct. 18 police took him back to the station for further questioning.

Andhra Pradesh – Police on Oct. 16 detained Christians after Hindu extremists beat them and damaged a pastor’s car in Ramagudam. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that about 100 Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) barged into the evening youth meeting, beat the young Christians and took them to the police station. A pastor identified only as Suresh rushed to the station, but the RSS stopped him and damaged his car. After beating the pastor, the RSS members filed a false charge of forcible conversion, according to the GCIC. Pastor Suresh also filed a police complaint against the attackers, after which the youth leaders were released without charges.

Karnataka – Police on Oct. 15 seized the passport of a pastor who runs an orphanage after he reported a missing orphan in Kadugodi, near Bangalore. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that Joseph Victor notified authorities that a 15-year-old girl at his Navajeevan Orphanage left the facility to attend a tailoring class. Police told him he could file a written complaint the next morning, and Pastor Victor sent his associate pastor and a clerk to the police station the next day to do so. While police made the Christians wait, the station inspector and sub-inspector went to the orphanage and demanded to know whether Pastor Victor had permission to operate the facility. After questioning, they took him to the police station. Detaining the Christians till evening, police and forced them to sign a statement that they themselves should search for the missing girl, demanded that they produce all documents for operating the orphanage and a house church and confiscated the pastor’s passport, reported the GCIC.

Andhra Pradesh – Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Oct. 15 accused Christians of forceful conversion and attacked them in Ramagundam. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported the extremists accused the Glorious Ministries youth group as they were preparing for three days of meetings at Calvary Temple on Oct 18-20. The extremists took the youth group to the police station. When a pastor identified only as Suresh along with three other Christians went to the station, about 100 extremists led by Thota Kumara Swamy attacked them, seriously injuring their heads and eyes and badly damaging their car with boulders, according to the GCIC. The Christian youths were charged and taken to the Karim Nagar Magistrate Court. At press time area Christian leaders were taking steps to resolve the matter.

Karnataka – Police in Arasikere arrested Pastor Sunder Raj on Oct. 13 after Hindu extremists filed a complaint alleging that he tried to demolish a temple and had attacked and abused them with foul language. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that police, bowing to the extremists’ pressure, filed an anti-religion atrocity case against the pastor, whom a judge sent to Hassan Jail; he was released on bail the next day. In 2004 the Arasikere Municipality, pressured by Sangh Parivar extremists, had demolished a church building alleging that it was constructed without permission and then built a temple on the same spot. Police had refused to accept the pastor’s complaints. Pastor Raj fought the case for more than two years but lost it in 2006. He then appealed to the District Sessions Court at Hassan, which ordered a fresh survey of the land. Knowing this, some Sangh Parivar extremists damaged a small part of the temple wall to make it appear the pastor was guilty of an anti-religious atrocity, according to the GCIC.

Karnataka – Police arrested six tribal Christians on Oct. 12 in Kulshalnagar, Coorg after Hindu extremists barged into their prayer meeting, verbally abused them and filed a complaint against them of forceful conversion. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the incident took place on the previous day at about 7 p.m., when the extremists forcefully entered into the prayer meeting at a Christian’s house. Accusing them of forceful conversion, the angry extremists destroyed vehicles parked outside the house, according to the GCIC. The police who arrived soon after arrested the Christians and took them to the Siddapura police station. They were sent to Virajpet jail and were released on bail the next day.

Maharashtra – Hindu extremists led by Gupsingh Raya Paurana threatened to murder a convert Christian from Hinduism, Ram Balli, and other Christians after launching repeated attacks on them in Virla Town, Sirja, Dhule. “Gupsingh Raya Purana claimed that he was imprisoned several times on charges of murder and other criminal acts and he threatened to murder me because I am a Christian,” Balli told Compass. “He told me that he would murder me and go back to jail and that it does not matter to him.” On Sept. 7, the village head summoned all the Christians and detained them for about eight hours after a Sept. 2 attack by Hindu extremists on a home prayer meeting that severely wounded the head of Raju Narayan. The village head along with Hindu extremists mocked them, and, in coarse language, told them they must not follow Christ. “They forced us to kneel down and worship the idols and also forced us to drink alcohol, and threatened to kill us if we didn’t oblige,” Balli said. On Oct. 8, while the Christians were getting ready to sleep, the extremists started throwing stones at their houses, sending Meena Raju to the hospital with a severe head injury. The Christians filed a police complaint against the attackers. The next day, the enraged extremists went to Balli’s house and other Christian homes and verbally abused them, threatening to kill them. Balli ran for his life to the police station, and other Christian family members hid in a field. The extremists destroyed the houses of the Christians. Police summoned the two parties. “The police told the Christians to worship the idols like all the other villagers and live in harmony with each other,” reported a pastor identified only as Sarichar, coordinator of the Indian Evangelical Team of Chodada division. After the intervention of the National Commission for Minorities, Shirpur Police in-charge P.R. Gulate and his team on Oct. 19 went to the site and investigated, and then registered a case against Dev Das, Gup Singh Paurane and Sai Singh. The attackers were charged with voluntarily causing hurt and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace. Tensions still prevailed in the area, and at press time police were trying to arrange another meeting between the two parties.

Andhra Pradesh – On Oct. 2, Hindu extremist Goli Suman and a drunken mob broke into Jesus Prayer Hall at Govindupally Jagitiyal town and threatened pastor Badugu Lazarus and other members of the church during a praying meeting. The Catholic Christian Forum reported that the extremists drank on the church premises. That night at 2 a.m., pastor A. Paul Chand rushed to the church and called police. An assistant sub-inspector of the town police station immediately visited the church, and after daybreak the Deva Reddy inspector of police also arrived and gave moral support, suggesting the pastor file a complaint. The Christians filed a complaint, and police arrested three extremists. Six months before, Hindu extremist Malla Reddy and the same group had objected to church construction and threatened to harm Pastor Lazarus if he built a church.

Kerala – On Sept.27 in Ambalavaval, Wayanad, Hindu extremists beat a pastor for his faith in Christ, seriously injuring him. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that a pastor identified only as Jaison E.T. and his wife were distributing gospel tracts and praying for the sick in various homes until one resident ordered them to get out of his family’s house. The Christians left, but later the same man and two Hindu extremists caught up with him in a house where the Christians had been welcomed and severely beat him. The owner of the house tried to stop them and called her husband to help, according to GCIC, and within five minutes he reached their house and gave protection to the pastor. Meantime, more than 20 people turned up to keep the intolerant Hindus from attacking the pastor’s wife.

Karnataka – In Nagnure, Belgaum district, a pastor and another Christian en route to evangelistic work on Sept. 27 were stopped by Hindu extremists who then tied them to a tree and beat them for their faith in Christ. The All India Christian Council (AICC) reported that upon learning of the assault on the pastor, identified only as Kashinath, and the worker from the Indian Missionary Society, Christian youths from the area gathered and retaliated, requiring police intervention. Both parties filed cases against each other the following day. No arrests had been made at press time.

Karnataka – In Sakleshpur, about 50 Hindu extremists from the Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the World Hindu Council, on Sept. 25 forced their way into the End Times Full Harvest Church, manhandled pastor Balzy D’Souza and some Christian women. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the extremists took Bibles and called police, who quickly arrived and joined the extremists in bullying the Christians. The area sub-inspector ordered them to stop their worship service and close down the church. Three weeks prior, an area inspector of police identified only as Ganesh visited the church and asked the pastor whether he had a license and the necessary permission from authorities to run a church in his house. The officer told him that there had been complaint against him that he had been involved in forcible and fraudulent conversions and that he must stop such illegal activities immediately. Area Christian leaders intervened, meeting with Hassan district official Ajit Singh and arranging a meeting between the Christians and the assailants. The extremists, however, gathered and fabricated a story with a couple of false witnesses that pastor John D’Souza and his colleagues had tried to bribe two people, supposedly paying them10,000 rupees (US$202) each to become Christians. Hindu leaders then issued an ordered that the pastor must stop his activities immediately, as they accused him of causing communal disharmony.

Karnataka – Police in Hulimavy, Bangalore Rural District on Sept. 25 threatened to jail pastor Arunachala Paramashivam of the Church of God Full Gospel India and shuttered his church. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the Hulimavu police station’s sub-inspector, identified only as Chandru, visited the pastor and asked him whether he had permission for a church, and that he had received complaints against him of forcible and fraudulent conversions. The pastor was arrested and subjected to lengthy questioning by Inspector Balram Gowda, who warned him that if he persisted in continuing with his prayer services, he would be arrested and sent to jail, reported the GCIC. He then ordered him to stop worship services and closed down the church. With area Christian leaders’ intervention, the pastor was able to continue Sunday worship meetings, reported GCIC.

On September 23 around 8:30 p.m., Pastor Bashuda received a call from one of the believers in his church asking for prayer. He got on his bicycle and headed for the house when the attack happened.

As Bashuda rode his bicycle, he noticed a car coming toward him on the dark, narrow road. Bashuda pulled over to let the car pass, but instead, the car stopped, and five angry men went after the missionary.

Pastor Bashuda tried to race off, but they caught him and brutally attacked him with swords. The attack left Bashuda unconscious.

Thinking the missionary was dead, his attackers drove off, leaving Bashuda on the side of the road.

Half an hour later, a man riding his bicycle saw Bashuda and checked to see if he was okay. He found out what village the pastor was from and rushed off to find help.

When he reached Bashuda’s village, he called to the first person he could find, saying, “A man from your village is badly injured and is lying down on the road.”

He and the villagers headed back to the place where Bashuda was lying helplessly. When the villagers recognized their pastor, they quickly brought him to the hospital.

Bashuda is hospitalized in critical condition and desperately needs prayer.

“Once again we see persecution on the uprise,” said president and founder of Gospel for Asia, K.P. Yohannan. “We need to pray God will bring peace to this situation. It saddens my heart to see our people persecuted like this. At the same time, I’m reminded that Jesus said we would face persecution but that He would be with us.”

Please pray the Lord will miraculously heal Pastor Bashuda of his injuries, bringing glory to His powerful name.

“The greatest thing we can do right now,” K.P. Yohannan said, “is pray for our brother who was beaten and those who did the persecuting, that they would come to know the love of Christ also.”

NEW DELHI, INDIA (ANS) — Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that Hindu extremists beat a pastor and evangelist unconscious in front of his sons earlier this month in Madhya Pradesh state.

Ramesh Devda, 30, from Dhadhniya, Meghnagar district, said he was attacked on Monday, April 4, 2011, after leading a prayer meeting in Chikklia village.

“He said he was on his way to Bhajidongra, at the border of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states, by motorcycle with his two sons, ages 10 and 8, to lead another prayer meeting,” said the CDN story. “When he reached Raseda village, he said, suddenly three people on two motorcycles blocked his way, forced him to stop and knocked his motorcycle over.”

The pastor then explained, “They were carrying big bamboo sticks and clubs. They started beating me, and then they called and three more men came and started to attack me.”

He said he was thankful that is sons were spared from beating, though his older son sustained a leg injury in the course of the attack. The Hindu extremists “were angry at me and were threatening to kill me and were warning me not to come to their area again,” he said.

CDN concluded its story by saying that Pastor Devda leads congregations in Chikklia, Bhajidongra and Dhadhniya villages.

“The people who beat me up do belong to a Hindu fundamentalist outfit, and some believers in Chikklia know them,” he said. “I can recognize them if I see them again.

“Once again, we are seeing how our brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering persecution for His sake all across Asia,” noted GFA President K.P. Yohannan. “These two incidents clearly show the cost of discipleship in India and other South Asian countries.”

One incident took place in a high-caste Orissa village known to be a center of religious extremism.

There, in a place where followers of the traditional religion consider Christians to be low-caste, GFA-supported national missionary Galoknath Jena had established a regular prayer meeting in the home of Kanchan and Gayan Verma. Theirs was the first family in the village to follow Christ, and they were among just a handful of believers that formed the first Christian fellowship there.

Angry Villagers
Not suprisingly, the rest of the village was angered by the small group of believers in their midst, and when Kanchan, 65, suddenly died, they took advantage of the situation.

Immediately, village leaders began to verbally abuse and harass Gayan, her daughter Sachika, 38, and her two children. But when the believers silently braved their insults and prayed for God’s grace, the anti-Christian religious leaders became infuriated.

Finally, when it was clear that the harassment was not going to change Gayan’s family, the leaders forced them to leave the village. Taking their few worldly possessions with them, the family took shelter in the home of a GFA leader in a village about 25 kilometers (15 miles) away.

“This dear family has lost everything and patiently endured persecution for the sake of Christ,” noted Dr. Yohannan. “Unfortunately, they are not the only ones.

Uttar Pradesh Persecution
“Just the other day, we received another report of a man in Uttar Pradesh who received similar treatment. There, a young man named Kunai received Jesus as his Savior about six months ago, and now the local leaders have banned him from his village.

“And not only has this Christian brother been banned from his own home, his whole family has been excommunicated from their society.

“I want to ask all who read this report to take a moment right now and pray for these families who are suffering greatly simply because they have placed their faith in Christ. Pray that the Lord will continue to hold them up. And pray also for those who persecute them, that their eyes will be opened to the true love of the living God.”

KARNATAKA, INDIA (ANS) — Two pastors were arrested by the Karnataka state police for conducting worship service at their residential premises on Sunday, March 6, 2011.

Pastor Mathew (30), the minister-in-charge of this house church and Pastor Jose (34), a guest speaker, were the ones arrested.

According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), Pastor Mathew had invited Pastor Jose to speak in his church on Sunday.

As the service progressed, a police officer walked into the church, and asked the pastors to stop the meeting, then ransacked the house church and took away Bibles and other Christian literature.

It was also learned through GCIC that they pair were then arrested and forcefully taken to the local police station.

According to a police source, they were acting on a complaint lodged by a leader of the Hindu radical group called Bajrang Dal who alleged that they were engaging in “forceful conversion activity.”

The police detained both the pastors until 9.pm of that night and a complaint was registered against them.

The pastors were then produced before the magistrate on that same night and the magistrate then allowed the pastors to go home on a temporary bail.

ORISSA, INDIA (ANS) – Digal is a dedicated husband, father and pastor in the North Indian state of Orissa. He recently left his home at 5:30 am to attend a dedication service for children in a nearby village and stayed there until late in the night. Digal began making his way back home when strangers attacked him from behind. They covered his head with a towel and began hitting him with heavy metal rods. Over and over again they beat him, until he was unconscious and almost unrecognizable.

According to a news release from Empart, a non-profit church planting organization, the attackers then threw Digal’s lifeless body onto the side of the road, presuming he was dead. They stole all the money he had in his pocket and replaced it with a small hand-written note. The letter serves as a death threat to Digal and a warning to other Christian pastors to stop their Gospel work and leave the region – or face similar consequences. “Whoever you may be, this is a very serious ultimatum for you,” it read.

Some of the local villagers later spotted Digal and realized that he was still breathing. They ran to inform his wife and some of the believers of the attack. Digal was then rushed to a medical center, where he remains in a critical condition. He is unable to speak and is severely traumatized by the experience. Doctors are amazed that he could survive such a horrendous attack.

Empart Area Leader for the Orissa region, Pastor Sibarim, agrees, saying, “This is a real miracle. Only God can do such amazing things. Pastor Digal was saved in a miraculous way.”

Digal is working for Empart, whose goal is to plant 100,000 churches in unreached areas of Asia by 2030.

Empart Founder and International Director, Jossy Chacko, says that Empart workers in Orissa are still facing persecution for their faith since the anti-Christian riots in 2008.

“We should not forget the people of Orissa,”, he says. “As an international community of believers, we are all part of the same body and we have a responsibility to remember them in our prayers. Despite this recent persecution, our leaders are not stopping what God has called them to do.”

Jossy will be visiting Orissa on October 15, 2010, to meet with the leaders there and encourage them in their ministry. He invites anyone with a heart for mission to join him on a short term trip next year to “personally meet some of these heroes of the faith.” He says that “aside from financial and prayer support, a personal visit goes a long way towards encouraging pastors like Digal.”

The Empart release says that “Digal has been targeted for his courage and boldness in bringing revival to Orissa.” He has worked hard to see his church develop in size and in faith but this has brought about unwanted attention from radical anti-Christian groups. Digal and his family are struggling to cope with the physical and emotional scars from the attack. Although the other believers have organized some money to pay for his medical treatment, they do not have enough to pay for his ongoing recovery and medication. Digal’s wife and his three children are completely dependent on him, fearful of what the future may hold.

Digal and many others have suffered horrific violence and persecution for proclaiming the Gospel in Orissa. Please pray for Digal and his family as they recover from this violent attack. Pray also for wisdom and direction for the Empart leaders as they deal with the situation.

Amodini, who is 40 years old, is a member of a church where a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary serves as pastor. She was at her home when a group of 15 men came to her house, called for her and began accusing her of forcing people to convert to Christianity.

After making the accusation, they grabbed hold of the woman and began to beat her. Witnesses described a horrific scene.

“Amodini’s clothes were removed in public and she was attacked with knives,” a witness reported.

Police sprang into action when the attack was reported and they have arrested 14 of the accused attackers so far.

The believers in that area ask for prayers for Amodini, that the Lord would heal her wounds. They also ask that the peace of God would keep her firm in her faith.

And, prayers are requested for the men who so cruelly attacked her, that they would repent and turn to Christ.

Bhakta was home alone when six people stormed into his house and dragged him out. They took him to a local temple and force-fed him food that had been sacrificed to the idols at the temple. They continued to humiliate him by dressing him in red clothing, which is a traditional symbol of adherence to the god of the temple. They also told him to dance and worship the idols in the temple.

His continued refusal to cooperate angered his kidnappers, so they beat him up. They also threatened him with further harm unless he returned to the traditional religion of his village. They left the badly injured young Christian in the temple.

Bhakta’s parents were at a prayer meeting when their son was kidnapped and tortured. When they found out about the incident, they immediately filed a police case. Police arrested five people whom they believe took part in the kidnapping and assault.

Simmering Hostility
As police began investigating the crime, they learned Bhakta’s neighbors are still angry over his family’s choice to follow Christ, and this may have led to the assault.

The family had once worshiped various gods and goddesses themselves. Then Bhakta’s mother became ill. She did what most people in her situation would do—she sought what medical attention she could afford and went to the local witchdoctors. Word of her sickness made its way to a local pastor, who sympathetically offered to pray for her. When this pastor prayed, Bhakta’s mother was healed and subsequently, her entire family chose to follow Christ.

Many of their neighbors were disgusted by the change in the family’s life. They viewed Christianity as a foreign religion and do not understand that Christ died for all. The people in the village did all they could to get Bhakta, his mother and his father to resume their previous worship practices. However, the family refused to turn its back on their newfound love for Jesus.

They Can’t Go Home
The situation in the village remains tense. The people are denying that they know the alleged culprits and say they had no involvement at all in the incident. Some have even suggested that Bhakta brought on the attack himself. Others are accusing Bhakta and his family of various crimes.

The family is not able to return to their home because of the situation. They have several prayer requests.
• Complete healing for Bhakta
• The Lord’s intervention in the situation
• Encouragement for Bhakta’s family to stay strong in their commitment to the Lord
• That the church in this area would grow stronger
• Pray for the other believers. Opposition and persecution are increasing in this area.
• Pray for the six perpetrators of this crime to come to know about the love of Jesus.