INDIA – Recent incidents of persecution
13/09/07
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Karnataka – A group of about 35 people from the Hindu ultranationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) beat the principal of a Bible college on 10 September in Geddalhalli village on Hennur Road in Bangalore.
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians told reporters that Angam Haokip, head of the Bible college in the Kothanur area of Bangalore, was attacked at 8am by men wearing vermillion on their foreheads and red thread on their wrists, a mark of followers of the RSS.
The attackers stopped Rev Haokip's vehicle and asked if he was a pastor. When he said, "Yes," they beat him, tried to crush his legs with boulders and kicked him on the nape of the neck before onlookers.
Rev Haokip's back and chest were injured. The attackers also vandalised his vehicle.
"When the Christian went to the police station, the police refused to accept his complaint, and instead informed him that a complaint had been lodged against him for 'rash driving,'" Dr George said.
Bihar – Hindu nationalists stormed a Christian meeting, forcibly took a pastor to a temple and made him recite slogans about the Hindu god Rama on 8 September in Bankipore Gorakh area of Fatuha in Patna, Bihar state.
National daily The Times of India identified the victim as Rudal Paswan of the Pentecostal Church and the perpetrators as supporters of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council or VHP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The ultranationalist groups accused the Christians of luring 100 Dalits, including women and children, with 5,000 rupees (ca £60) cash and promises of jobs paying 8,000 rupees (ca £100) monthly.
Pastor Paswan denied the allegation.
The daily quoted Gopal Prasad, local president of the BJP, as saying, "We had informed the local administration about our pre-emptive action. We explained to the people the benefits of remaining a Hindu. I told them they were like our brothers and sisters."
The daily noted that the VHP and BJP supporters made the allegations even though they did not know the names of the organisers of the Christian meeting.
The Patna administration is investigating the case.
West Bengal – Six families in Natungram village, Murshidabad district in West Bengal, are being ostracised for converting to Christianity from Islam, reported the Mumbai Mirror on 7 September.
Villagers in the predominantly Muslim village have accused the Christians of receiving money from a church to convert, the report stated.
"It is likely that 24 people converted in the last three months," Ajay Sannamat, the Lalbag sub-divisional officer, was quoted as stating.
Villagers became suspicious when some of the converts declined to attend certain functions.
The village head, Maulvi Nur Islam, called a meeting in which the heads of the Christian families were summoned and told that they would not be allowed to buy anything from any shop or draw water from village tube-wells.
At the same time, the Muslim villagers were told they would be fined if they spoke to the Christian 'offenders', the report stated.
Two converts, Rehman Sheikh and Aima Bibi, reportedly filed a complaint with the Murshidabad police stating that their lives were threatened.
Police have been posted in the village, and District Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastav was quoted as stating, "They will remain as long as the tension is not diffused."
Karnataka – On 6 September a group of about 10 Hindu ultranationalists tied an independent evangelist to a tree for at least three hours before chasing him out of Madhikare village in Chinthamani near Bangalore, Karnataka state.
They beat 41-year old evangelist P Ananthappa whilst he was distributing Christian tracts to a villager in front of his house, said Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians.
"The nationalists abused the evangelist and warned him not to come back to the village to preach Christianity before tying him to a tree for three hours," Dr George told reporters.
After being released, Mr Ananthappa, who received minor injuries, went to hospital for first-aid.
"The evangelist refused to file a police complaint, saying that if he did so he would not be able to go to that village again for ministry," Dr George added.
Karnataka – Six Hindu nationalists beat pastor Abey C Mathew, aged 30, of the Christian Ministry Church on 6 September in Bommasandra, Bangalore, Karnataka state.
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said nationalists led by Narayana Swamy barged into the church compound shouting anti-Christian curses and slapped, punched and kicked Pastor Mathew and congregation member Joseph Abraham.
Both men were treated for injuries at Baptist Hospital.
"The mob told me to stop my preaching of a foreign faith and kept hitting me," Pastor Mathew told reporters.
"They are now threatening my believers, who are now afraid to worship at the church. On 9 September, very few attended Sunday worship."
Mathew, whose congregation consists of 22 people, filed a complaint at the Hebbagudi police station, but at press time no arrests had been made.
Karnataka – Police summoned three Christians on 3 September after Hindu nationalists in the Bangarapet area of Kolar district, Karnataka, filed a complaint of 'forcible conversion'.
The nationalists, whose names the police did not disclose, charged that the Christians – identified only as Raghu from Emmanuel Church, Prabhu from Zion Church and an independent pastor, Anand – were forcibly converting local Hindus, said Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians.
Dr George said the charge was false.
He added that it was disturbing to see the southern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, which have substantial numbers of Christians, becoming gradually more tense in recent years.
West Bengal – Alleged supporters of the Communist Party of India-Marxists (CPI-M) beat the wife of an independent Christian worker on 1 September in Bhupathinagar area of East Midnapore district, West Bengal state.
The attackers came to the house of Biman Patro seemingly to attack him but, not finding him home, beat his wife Sushma Patro instead, according to a local Christian who requested anonymity.
"They caught the woman and threw her to the ground by pulling her hair," the source told reporters.
"Then they hit her on the head with a stick and kicked her in the stomach several times, knocking her down unconscious."
A relative of Mrs Patro's intervened, and the victim was admitted to Purba Medinipur District Hospital for two days.
When the incident was reported to the Bhupathinagar police station, the police took no prompt action.
"They arrested a few people, but released them within few hours," added the source.
The attackers had earlier visited Sushma Patro and harassed her on 22 August after learning that her husband was away.
"Mr Patro's wife had even lodged a complaint regarding the 22 August incident at the Bhupathinagar police station [General Diary Number 770] the same day, but the police did nothing to protect the woman, as the perpetrators are being protected by local politicians from the CPI-M," the source said.
Madhya Pradesh – A Hindu nationalist from the Bajrang Dal in Kharra village, Rewa district, Madhya Pradesh beat a 24-year old Christian, Kailash Saket, on 31 August.
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said Kiran Upadhyay stopped Saket on a village road and cursed him and his Christian faith.
Upadhyaya then slapped and punched Kailash and warned him to stop going to prayer meetings.
Kailash has been worshipping at a house church, led by independent pastor Heeralal Kushwawa, for the past four years.
Mr Upadhyaya also had beaten Pastor Kushwawa on 25 August, making allegations of 'forcibly converting' people.
"Mr Upadhyaya has been keeping a close watch on our prayer meetings and mocked the believers as they came for worship," Pastor Kushwawa told reporters.
"Believers are now frightened, and on Sunday 2 September, very few believers attended worship."
Maharashtra – Unidentified Hindu ultranationalist youths on 25 August launched a second attack on 38-year old pastor Peter David Silway from the Vineyard Workers' Church in Dapodi area of Maharashtra state's Pune district.
"A car belonging to the pastor was pelted with stones by two motorcycle-borne youths on the bridge linking Dapodi and Bopodi," the local edition of national daily The Indian Express reported on 4 September.
The victim filed a complaint with the Bhosari police station.
On 8 June, about six youths had gone to the residence of Pastor Silway in Bopodi with a bouquet, and as the pastor stepped forward to receive it, they pounced on him and started beating him with hockey sticks, added the daily.
At that time he filed a complaint with the Khadki police station.
The daily quoted the president of the Dapodi unit of Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena, Kailas Jadhav, as saying, "Some Hindu groups suspect that church members are carrying out conversion activity not in the church, but in villages outside Pune and other parts of the state. If such a thing is happening, it should be stopped forthwith."
Pastor Silway told the daily, "The church has never indulged in such activities ... There are some five to six people who are instigating the local people against the church. Otherwise nobody is complaining."
Pastor Silway conducts healing prayer meetings on Saturdays that draw nearly 20,000 people.
Maharashtra – Hindu nationalists from the Bajrang Dal filed a First Information Report (FIR) of forcible conversion against pastor Edward Pais on 26 August in Andheri, Mumbai, Maharashtra, reported national daily The Times of India.
Pastor Pais of New Life Fellowship told reporters, "One person identified as Mr
Kishore, who has been praying and worshipping at the New Life Church for more than six months, expressed a desire and personal free choice to accept Christ as saviour."
For his baptism, Mr Kishore invited colleague Anil Bhise to the service on 26 August.
"Mr Bhise came with a few other people, and they all sat respectfully during the preaching," Pastor Pais said.
"However, as Mr Kishore was being administered the water baptism at the nearby Juhu beach, Bhise strongly objected to the baptism ceremony."
Bhise shouted accusations of 'forcible conversion' and registered the FIR against Pastor Pais at the D N Nagar, Andheri police station.
Pastor Pais was also booked for 'deliberately injuring religious sentiments' under Sections 295(A), and for 'inducing a person to believe he will be rendered an object of the Divine displeasure' under Section 508.
Orissa – Unidentified people suspected of being Hindu ultranationalists demolished an 18-year old church belonging to tribal Christians late on 25 August in Banjalaput village of Padua block in Orissa state's Koraput district.
The attackers broke the rooftop and cross of the church, which belonged to the Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church (JELC).
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said Hindu nationalists had earlier instigated Rabi Ram Singh, son of Jagabandhu Ram Singh, former owner of the land who had sold it to the JELC Mission, to illegally occupy a portion of the church property.
The younger Singh has been threatening JELC Pastor Sanjay Khora to halt meetings in the church.
He also has stopped the pastor from entering the church on several occasions.
The Padua police station filed a complaint against the culprits, but the accused remained at large at press time.
About 20 tribal Christian families worshipped in the church.
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