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Indian Hindu Militants Burn Down Church, Attack Pastors By BosNewsLife News Center
NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)— Christians in India’s southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, March 14, were preparing to rebuild their church, hours after it was burnt down by Hindu militants, while elsewhere in the country several Christian leaders were recovering from injuries following violent attacks against them.
The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), which represent churches and missionary groups, said "Hindu radicals" of the nationalist Hindu organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or ’National Volunteers’ Union’, "burnt down" an independent church late Tuesday, March 13, in the small town of Tadipatri, about 13 kilometers (8 miles) from the coastal city of Kakinada.
The attack against the congregation, which has about 40 families as members, was the latest in a series of incidents in the region, the GCIC said. "Fifteen days back one church was [also] burnt in the Tadiparti. Some agreement was made with political leaders by the anti-Christians that they would not disturb Christians. [However] again a group of people warned Pastor G. Premanadam on March 13 not to preach and proclaim Christ and they burnt the church building...", GCIC added.
Although the pastor informed police the Christian residents are reportedly living in fear of more attacks in the future. The violence came shortly after Hindu militants also attacked several pastors and Christian workers Andhra Pradesh and other regions of India, BosNewsLife established.
PASTOR ATTACKED
On Sunday, March 11, 48-year old Pastor B. Anand of the200-strong ’Bethesda Pradhana Sahavasam’ in Andhra Pradesh’s Ambojipeta village was attacked with wooden clubs by RSS militants, while on his way to a nearby village to participate in church services, Indian Christians said.
Up to 20 RSS supporters and two police officers came to the house where the pastor was staying and "demanded him to go along with them to [local] Jhajipatri police station," the GCIC claimed. Later the police officers left and "the RSS radicals took him to a forest area outside the village and wooden" clubs "on his face and his legs," the organization said.
Pastor Anand was allegedly betrayed by an RSS spy who had posed as a church member. "The radicals said he was using foreign money and that some Americans were giving him money to convert people to Christianity," the GCIC said. During the beatings the pastor reportedly proposed the RSS militants to seek first confirmation from local police and Christians whether he was involved in forced conversions.
"It was God’s will that none of them spoke in favor of the radicals and so Pastor Anand was released at 3am," the GCIC said in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife.
KARNATAKA VIOLENCE
The same say Sunday, March 11, another church leader, identified as Pastor Matthew was attacked in the neighboring Indian state of Karnataka as he was returning home on his two-wheeler after translating the Gospel into the local Kannada language at a meeting in the northern part of the capital Bangalore.
After he filled his two-wheeler with petrol and left the petrol station, three men in an auto "ambushed him on a dark stretch of road," blocking his way by stopping the car in front of his bike, GCIC investigators said.
One man, wearing a cap allegedly beat him on the head with a cricket stump and later apparently aimed a blow at his back which caused Pastor Matthew severe pain. "As it was dark, I could not see much. Also, the fact that I was wearing the helmet also obscured my vision, which is anyway not too good" said Pastor Matthew in a statement.
"I am in severe pain from the injuries which have caused large clots on my back and arms. I cannot sit up for long," he said, adding that he managed to seek medical help and asked supporters to "please pray for my early recovery."
STARTING CHURCH
Human rights observers linked the attack to Pastor Mathew’s attempts to start a church, the Bethesda Prayer Hall in Cholanayakanahalli, a small village within Bangalore’s city limits. He is the son of a pastor and several of his brothers are also involved in Christian activities.
One of his brothers, identified as Pastor Daniel, was reportedly harassed and forcibly evicted from three homes, one after another, by persons who apparently opposed his involvement in conducting prayers.
Elsewhere in the Bangalore area a Christian evangelist, identified as Bro. Bhaskar, was beaten last week, March 7, while distributing Christian tracts among some young ladies passing by on Hennur Road, the GCIC reported.
“Before handing the tracts over, he asked them what language they could read, and gave them the tract in their language. Seeing him do this, two men who were passing by on a scooter stopped, and questioned him. One pushed him against the wall and held his hands while another punched him twice on the face and said, ’Why are you giving these people tracts ? If we see you doing this again we will get you arrested by the police,’" the GCIC said.
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