Indian Christians Forced from Their Homes
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West Bengal, India - Fourteen Christians were beaten by anti-Christian extremists and forced to flee their homes in West Bengal, India. These Christians are all members of a church where a Gospel for Asia missionary serves as pastor.
On July 10, some of the villagers requested a meeting with the Christians from the church. The church members thought it was a meeting about an ordinary matter, but when they arrived, a group of men began shouting at them and accusing them of forcing people to convert from their traditional religion to Christianity. They also blamed the Christians for the illnesses that were going around the village.
By the end of the attack, the extremists had threatened to cut them into pieces if they stayed in the village.
As the confrontation escalated, some people from the group began to physically attack the Christians and beat them severely. By the end of the attack, the extremists had threatened to cut them into pieces if they stayed in the village.
The Christians were able to break free from the mob and escape to nearby villages. GFA missionaries Rajman Gounder and V. Samuel Mahli heard about the situation the next day, and they immediately found the Christians and took them into their own homes for safety.
Then the missionaries appealed to the village leader, Negesh Rai, for help in resolving the matter so that the Christians could return to their homes. Negesh directed the missionaries to seek help from the police.
Negesh is a political candidate for a local party. When the opposing political party heard that Negesh sent the missionaries to the police for help, they organized some of the villagers to conduct a protest against Negesh. During the protest, the villagers called for Negesh’s resignation.
On July 16, Gospel for Asia’s West Bengal state leaders moved the abused believers out of the missionaries houses into rented homes in a different area. They will remain in the rented homes until it is safe for them to return to their own homes in the village.
Rajman and V. Samuel are asking for prayer for the situation. They ask Christians to pray for the Lord’s intervention, and that He would touch the hearts of the villagers so that they will see the truth. They also ask for prayer that they would experience God’s guidance in dealing with the spiritual and political situations.
