HYDERABAD, India — Worship companies at a church in a village in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been suspended since Hindu extremists attacked the congregation on June 1, sources mentioned.
The mob of about 20 villagers led by members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal intruded into the home of Pastor Madia Damor in Thuvadara village, Jabua District, disrupting the worship service and beating the 50 folks gathered for fasting prayer, together with ladies and kids.
The assailants arrived at about 4 p.m., seized Bibles from youngsters and commenced beating female and male members, Pastor Damor mentioned.
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“There was all chaos,” he instructed Morning Star Information. “The children and women were crying, shouting, asking them to stop, but they forcefully dragged them out of my house,” Pastor Damor instructed Morning Star Information. “When I tried to stop the mob from attacking the women and children, they pushed me off and threatened me that they would kill me if I conducted church prayers in the village again.”
Others additionally tried to guard the youngsters and girls because the mob seized a 54-year-old Christian recognized solely as Noorji and pushed him a number of meters in entrance of the pastor’s premises.
“The mob started pelting stones at Noorji. He was isolated from the congregation, and they chased him away by a few meters and started pelting stones at him,” Pastor Damor mentioned. “Then they pointed at Noorji and warned the members that whoever gathers for prayers would be stoned to death. They scared the children also by pointing at Noorji, saying, ‘Look at him! This could be you if you come to prayers again.’”
Noorji underwent remedy at a non-public hospital in Jabua for over a month.
“He has not recovered fully yet,” the pastor mentioned. “The treatment has been very expensive for Noorji’s family. He is only a laborer and earns daily wages for his livelihood.”
The Bajrang Dal mob focused Noorji as a result of his complete household had put their religion in Christ, he mentioned.
“His children and their spouses also have been baptized and stood boldly for Christian faith in this Thuvadara village,” he mentioned.
Village Christians later went to Ranapur Taluk police station to report the assault. Pastor Damor detailed the info of the assault to police, however the mob quickly arrived, and officers sided with the assailants, he mentioned.
“Instead of listening to us and recording our statements, the police started questioning us,” Pastor Damor instructed Morning Star Information. “The police asked me, ‘Why do you conduct worship services in the village when they are saying not to conduct Christian worship?’ The police did not understand our grievances. Even after seeing Noorji bleeding continuously, the police did not take any steps to send him for medical examination and treatment.”
The Christians had been unable to spend extra time in search of justice as they needed to rush Noorji to a non-public hospital for remedy, he mentioned.
Hindu extremists beforehand launched assaults on the congregation in 2019, 2015 and 2012, he mentioned.
“Each time we go to the police station to report the attack, the police don’t believe us,” he mentioned.
Within the 2019 assault, his daughter-in-law was so severely injured that they needed to stop worship companies for a yr.
“It was a time when my family and I were forced to take the decision to leave the ministry,” Pastor Damor instructed Morning Star Information. “It was very difficult for me personally. But the whole country was shut due to COVID-19 lockdown.”
Church members realized to make use of cell phones and the web to proceed digital companies.
“God opened a door when all the doors were shut,” Damor mentioned. “It was only during COVID-19 lockdown that new members came to believe Christ even from among those who attacked us earlier. The Lord has done great wonders.”
Church members in want of prayer now cease by his home by 7 a.m., earlier than villagers start work, to wake secretly pray for pressing wants.
“Parents bring their sick children early in the morning seeking prayers,” the pastor mentioned. “If they have come from a bit far away, we advise them to join in prayers over phone.”
Sunday worship, nonetheless, has fully stopped, he mentioned.
“The congregation fears there could be another attack if they gathered again,” he mentioned.
As a substitute of submitting a First Info Report and investigating, police at Ranapur Taluk filed a Non-Cognizable Report, which prohibits them from investigating with no warrant from a courtroom.
“This house church is the only place of Christian worship in Thuvadara village,” Pastor Damor mentioned. “They have shut down the only church present in the village. We request prayers for courage and strength to continue the ministry during these difficult times.”
India ranked eleventh on Christian assist group Open Doorways’ 2024 World Watch Listing of the nations the place it’s most troublesome to be a Christian. The nation was thirty first in 2013, however its place worsened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi got here to energy.
The hostile tone of the Nationwide Democratic Alliance authorities, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP), towards non-Hindus, has emboldened Hindu extremists in a number of components of the nation to assault Christians since Modi took energy in Might 2014, non secular rights advocates say.
Morning Star Information is the one unbiased information service focusing solely on the persecution of Christians. The nonprofit’s mission is to supply full, dependable, even-handed information with the intention to empower these within the free world to assist persecuted Christians, and to encourage persecuted Christians by informing them that they don’t seem to be alone of their struggling.
“Well bless their hearts.”
