difference in a child’s life!

Christians in India continue to face persecution at the hands of Hindu radicals. The Indian police, instead of protecting the persecuted, sides with the persecutors.

02/29/2012 India (CDN)-State police on Feb. 21 arrested a Christian after Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) accused him of forceful conversion and beat him in Thuvakudi, Trichy district. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the Hindu extremists made the accusation against Sahayam Chidambaran after arguing with his brother, pastor John Chidambaran. The pastor’s neighbor had demanded part of his church land, and after a quarrel had broken a water pipeline. When the pastor filed a police complaint, the neighbor brought about 10 extremists from the RSS to attack the pastor and falsely accuse him of fraudulent and forced conversion. They also beat his daughter, Mercy, who had to be rushed to the hospital for treatment, reported the GCIC. Police assured the pastor that they would amicably settle the matter and also took a statement from him, but the neighbor along with an RSS leader identified only as Mahendra subsequently attacked the pastor’s brother and raised the same false accusation to get him arrested and jailed. Sajan K. George, president of the GCIC, told Compass today that the Christian remained in jail at press time and that he and his team was working for his release. “We are expecting that he will be out from the prison in two days time,” he said on Tuesday (Feb. 28).

Kerala – Hindu extremists in Kanhagad, Kasargod, on Feb. 21 verbally abused a pastor and his children and damaged his car because of his faith in Christ. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that Hindu extremists barged into the house of a convert from Hinduism who had invited pastor Titus Ignatius Kapan and his family for dinner. The invading extremists tackled the pastor and his children, and then began dropping huge boulders and stones on his car. The assailant fled after learning Pastor Kapan had called police, who arrived about an hour later. Officers filed a charge-sheet, but no arrests had been made at press time.

Chhattisgarh – Hindu extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) disrupted a prayer service organized by Bershebha church on Feb. 15 in Pandhi village, near Bilaspur. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the church had organized a worship event for Feb. 14-16 and had prior police permission. On the first day of the meeting, 15 to 20 RSS members arrived and issued threats, telling pastors Daulat Ram and Sunam Kumar Besra to halt the event; on their way out, they slapped Pastor Besra. On the second day, about 50 RSS members told the pastor to stop the meeting and then started tearing down the tent, microphone and speakers. The mob then dragged the Christians and started assaulting them, resulting in severe injuries. Pastor Besra suffered head injuries that required stitches. Later that evening, the extremists came back and attacked pastor Immannuel Banchor and other church members, beating them badly with their fists and a leather belt. The pastor sustained an injury to his left eye, and another Christian’s ear was severely injured. The extremists also damaged the pastor’s motorbike. With great difficulty the Christians managed to take refuge at a Christian’s house near the event site. At around 3 a.m. some pastors and church members brought them to their houses in Bilaspur. A case has been registered against the extremists, reported the GCIC.

Andhra Pradesh – Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) threatened a church in Sutari Gudem village, near Medchal, during a worship service on Feb. 12. The All India Christian Council (AICC) reported that Timothy Paul, a pastor in Sutari Gudem for more than two years, received a warning six months ago from BJP members to stop leading services in his rented home. Another Christian provided a place for services where about 50 people meet on Sundays, and it was there that the Hindu extremists from the BJP stormed into the church service and had a heated argument with the pastor that nearly led to a physical attack. Pastor Suvarho Rao and a few of the church elders planned to meet with village elders to resolve the issue of church services in the village, according to AICC.

Karnataka – Police along with Hindu extremists on Feb. 2 searched the home of a pastor, took tracts and Bibles and filed a complaint against him of forceful conversion in Siddapura, Utara Kannada. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that officers in civil attire and area Hindu extremist leaders searched pastor Kiran Thippanna Das’s house without cause and questioned him. They took his vehicle, some books and Bibles and ordered him to meet with the inspector. Three days later he received a phone call from police ordering him to meet an official identified only as Almurthy, who told him he had received complaints from villagers that he was forcefully converting people to Christianity and that he had 24 hours to leave the village or go to jail. The pastor contacted pastor L.N. Gowda, state coordinator of the GCIC, who in turn informed the official about human and legal rights and said legal trouble could arise from his action on behalf of the Hindu extremists. The official summoned the pastor the next day and told him that he could ask for protection if necessary.

Chhattisgarh – Police arrested a pastor and another Christian on Feb. 1 after Hindu extremists accused them of forceful conversion in Jorapara, Raipur. A source told Compass that pastor Harish Sahu of New Life Fellowship led prayer meetings at the house of a Christian identified only as Baghel. The extremists confronted Baghel’s relatives, Upendra Pande and Purnima Pande, at about 1 p.m., accusing them of forceful conversion, and beat them. As the Christians reported the matter at Modhapara, Raipur police station, the extremists filed a police complaint against Pastor Sahu and Baghel of forceful conversion and allurement, the source said. Police summoned Pastor Sahu and charged him and Baghel, who were later sent to Central Jail, Raipur. Both of them denied the charges, and they were released on bail on Feb. 2, the source said. Purnima Pande, Baghel’s niece, filed a complaint against Hindu extremists Suneel Gaikwad, Raju Shendre, Ajay Sahu, one identified only as Goldi and others. The extremists were arrested but later released on bail.

Chhattisgarh – Hindu extremists from the Bajrang Dal disrupted a gospel film screening, destroyed equipment and beat a pastor on Jan. 31 in Indira Nagar, Dongagarh. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that pastor Rajendra Masih of a Believer’s Church congregation was screening the movie in front of the residence of one of the members of his church when the extremists charged in. They caught hold of Pastor Masih and began thrashing him, leaving lacerations on his face and wounding his left eye. The extremists phoned police at about 11:30 p.m. complaining that the Christians were forcibly and fraudulently converting Hindus to Christianity. The police inspector visited the place along with a few constables and took the pastor to the station for further questioning. Finding no basis for the accusation, he closed the case after the two groups worked out an agreement.

Chhattisgarh – Hindu nationalists surrounded Nirmala Convent School on Jan. 31 in Korba to try to force those present to make a ritual offering to a Hindu goddess. The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) reported that the extremists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh entered the school chanting slogans and accused staff members of forceful conversion. A student carried an idol of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, with the intention of performing “puja,” or ritual offering, in class, and the Hindu extremists were on hand to support the act, according to the EFI. Soon police arrived and ordered the principal, Sister Mary, to lead the Hindu ritual. When she refused, a Hindu teacher was told to conduct the offering. A local cable TV channel, Abhi Tak, subsequently broadcast false reports that the idol had been desecrated by Christians at the convent school. Police ignored an attempt to file a complaint against the channel, which repeated the fabricated news for 48 hours. Despite several attempts by school authorities to file a case against the radicals, none was taken.

Jharkhand – Christians in Chaibasa district were forced to leave their village after a series of attacks against them by local villagers. The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) reported that in the latest attack, on Jan. 29, a mob closed down all the exit points of the village and attacked the Christians with iron rods, axes, arrows and other sharp weapons. The Rev. Rajendra Babu received a blow with iron rods while trying to leave the village, breaking the helmet he was wearing, the EFI reported. The mob also beat three other Christians – Madan Muduiya and two identified only as Sunil and Vinod – and broke doors, windows, furniture and other belongings in the house of a Christian. They also dragged some Christians, including children, to a room, locked it from the outside and attempted to set it ablaze. The arrival of police halted the violence. The Christians have taken refuge on church premises outside the village, without adequate food and clothing. Their animals have been slaughtered and their harvest stock destroyed, EFI reported. A First Information Report was registered against the attackers, but no arrests were made. On Jan. 29 the village head called for a reconciliation meeting and identified the assailants, but the Hindu extremists boycotted.

Gujarat – Unidentified people on Jan. 26 used a bulldozer to destroy tombs in a Christian cemetery in Sabarmati, Dharamnagar. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that a local councilor along with ultranationalist Bharatiya Janata Party members had incited the assailants. “When we reached the cemetery, cars were parked in the area where tombs used to be,” said Martin Hector Harris of the Methodist Church in Dharamnagar, according to the GCIC. “We also saw the desecrators pile mud from the tombstones on a nearby sidewalk. Police have not arrested anyone yet, or even started an investigation.”

Karnataka – Four Dalit Christian families have been receiving threats since nine Hindu extremists charged into the house of a Christian identified only as Puttamma as she was celebrating her son’s 25th birthday on Jan. 9 and injured 10 people. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the attackers, alleged to have come from Sarjapur six kilometers (less than four miles) away, fled when the commotion attracted other villagers. Puttamma reportedly said some villagers had threatened to cut off the water supply to the Chritians’ homes and remove their names from a rationing list. She was hit on the leg when she tried to stop the Hindu extremist assailants from assaulting the pastor. The GCIC reported that the Hindu extremists have also told people not to employ the Christians.

Haliyal (AsiaNews) – Dozens of Hindu activists of the RSS (Rashtriya Sangh Savayansevak) attacked 20 Christians of teh Fellowship of New Life in a private house, 3km from the town of Haliyal (Uttar Kannada, Karnataka). The episode took place on Jan. 23.  there is no respite for the Christians. We are already at the third anti-Christian, incident in the first month of the year. “ 

Accusing those present of proselytism and forced conversions, the ultranationalists have begun to beat Kishore Kavalekar, a faithful, and Rev. Kalappa Chandrakanth Chavan, 27, under the eyes of his wife Vandana, 24, and 3 year old daughter. After tearing the clothes of the pastor, the activists dragged him in front of the whole village. Finally, attackers tied him to a tree near a Hindu temple and called the Haliyal police. The police arrested Rev. Chandrakanth and Kishore, imprisoning them for 24 hours, leaving the RSS activists to roam free.

Since 2008, the Karnataka has been led by the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), an ultra-nationalist party that supports groups and movements of Hindu extremists belonging to the wide umbrella of the Sangh Parivar. Among these, the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), the VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and Bajrang Dal, are often responsible for the violence against Dalits and Christians.

“The complicity between the government forces and the ultra-nationalist BJP – stated the president of the GCIC – is seriously endangering the survival of Christians in Karnataka. Tomorrow, India celebrates the 62nd Republic Day: It is imperative that the secular credentials of our Constitution are guaranteed to be followed in all the states in the country. “

Recently, other Indian states were the scene of anti-Christian persecution. In Jammu and Kashmir, an Islamic court (which has no legal authority, ed) has decreed the expulsion of five Christian missionaries, including the pastor CM Khanna and Fr Jim Borst.

In the district of Umaria (Madhya Pradesh), Jan. 12, police raided the rooms of an American student and 20 other girls, on the basis of alleged forced conversions. Going to the U.S. Embassy to denounce the fact, Nicole Jaquis said that the police with Hindutva nationalists rummaged through her belongings, including underwear, without presenting a warrant.

“Christians  are treated as second class citizens not only by the ultra-nationalist forces, but also the authorities. With the approach of Republic Day, it is time that the State ensures the Christian minority of its constitutional rights. “

Southern state remains most volatile place for third straight year.

     (CDN)-Attacks on Christians accelerated over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays in the south Indian state of Karnataka, which was identified as the most unsafe place for the religious minority for the third consecutive year in 2011.

With 49 cases of violence and hostility against Christians in 2011, Karnataka remained the state with the highest incidence of persecution, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s annual report, “Battered and Bruised…”

The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), which is based in Karnataka’s capital of Bengaluru and initially reported most of the incidents, also documented at least six anti-Christian attacks between Christmas Eve 2011 and New Year’s Day.

On the evening of Jan. 1, about 20 men disrupted the New Year’s Day worship service of the Blessing Youth Mission Church at the house of a believer in Hunnur village, in Jamkhandi division of Bagalkot district. Suspected Hindu extremists from the Bajrang Dal, the men manhandled pastor Siddu Seemanth Gunike, accusing him of forcibly and fraudulently converting Hindus. Local police intervened and rescued the pastor and other Christians.

On New Year’s Eve, more than 10 men trespassed onto the premises of the Karnataka Calvary Fellowship Church, in the Ganeshgudi area in Joida division of North Canara district, and disrupted a service of thanksgiving. Believed to be Hindu nationalists, the men forced the church to stop the service. Police arrived but only to summon the pastor, identified as P.R. Jose, to the police station the following morning. After GCIC’s intervention, however, a senior police official assured the Christians of security.

On the evening of Dec. 28, 2011, a group of men from the nationalist Hindu Sriram Sene disrupted the prayer meeting of the Divyadarsana Ministry Church at the home of a Christian, Bima Naik, in SS Layout in Davanagere city, the headquarters of the central Davanagere district. Alleging the meeting was to convert Hindus, the men tried to manhandle the Christians. Police arrived, but instead of detaining the intruders took pastor Raju Doddamani, Naik and three other Christians to the police station for interrogation. They were released late at night.

The same day, unidentified persons burned a Christmas tree and a crib that were part of Christmas celebrations by local Catholics in Maripalla area in Bantwal division of the Dakshina Kannada district. Police arrested two men, but their identities were not disclosed.

Police reportedly said the decorations were burned over suspicion of “conversions.” Evangelizing and conversion are legal in India.

Also on Dec. 28, suspected Hindu nationalists ransacked and broke windows of the Hebron Assembly Church in the Haleangadi area of Mangalore division in Dakshina Kannada district. The attackers also destroyed household items in the house of the pastor, identified only as Prasanna. Police registered a case against the attackers, but at press time no one was reported to have been arrested.

On the evening of Dec. 25, about 20 people beat Christians with stones and wooden clubs as they celebrated Christmas at a house in the Maindguri area, near Surathkal, a few miles from the city of Mangalore, in Dakshina Kannada district. The attackers, allegedly from a local extremist Hindu Jagran Vedike (Hindu Revival Forum), attacked the Christians, including women and children, indiscriminately.

A 27-year-old man identified only as Joyson fractured his leg; a pastor’s wife identified as Lata, sustained chest injuries; a 29-year-old woman identified as Roshini and another woman identified as Annamma received head injuries; and a 23-year-old man identified only as Deepak broke his nasal bridge in the attack. A local Christian told Compass by phone that police arrested five of the attackers, but that they had been released on bail.

The attacks on Christians in Karnataka are “shameful” and “a blot on the secular and democratic India,” GCIC President Sajan K. George said. The local government and authorities were “complicit in the persecution against Christians,” he added.

Anti-Christian attacks increased in the state after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to sole power in May 2008. At least 28 attacks were reported in less than two months in August and September of that year. In 2009, Karnataka witnessed at least 48 attacks, and the number grew to 56 in 2010, according to the EFI.

In its 2010 report of Christian persecution in India, the EFI had warned about increasing attacks on Christians in Karnataka, remarking that “although in 2007 and 2008 two major incidents of violence occurred in eastern Orissa state’s Kandhamal district and hit headlines in the national as well as international media, little efforts have been taken by authorities in India to tackle the root causes of communal tensions, namely divisive propaganda and activities by powerful right-wing Hindu groups, who do not represent the tolerant Hindu community.”

The violence in Kandhamal district during Christmas week of 2007 killed at least four Christians and burned 730 houses and 95 churches, according to the All India Christian Council (AICC). These attacks were preceded by around 200 incidents of anti-Christian attacks in other parts of the country.

Violence re-erupted in Kandhamal district in August 2008, killing more than 100 people and resulting in the incineration of 4,640 houses, 252 churches and 13 educational institutions, according to the AICC.

Christians account for about 2.3 percent of India’s population, which is more than 1.3 billion.

In 2007 and 2008, many Christians were killed and at least 50,000 displaced in large-scale riots in Kandhamal, a large rural district in Orissa state on India’s eastern coast. Now, more than three years later, many of the Western NGOs have left, and riot victims have either returned home or moved on. While Westerners may have forgotten, Christians in Kandhamal have not. According to the Global Council of Indian Christians, “Memories of the horror during Christmas of 2007 are still fresh in the minds of Christians of Kandhamal.”

The fears of Kandhamal Christians were renewed after three Christian leaders were murdered in 2011. The first, Saul Pradhan, was killed in January. Police refused to conduct a post-mortem, claiming he died from the “bitter cold,” but Hindu radicals later confessed to the murder.

Seven months later, Michael Digal was murdered near Baliguda. Police initially claimed Digal died in a motorcycle accident, but his wounds pointed to assault rather than an accident. Under pressure from the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), investigators determined that Digal was likely targeted by Hindu radicals because he testified against some of the 2008 riot participants.

VOM helped the families of both Saul Pradhan and Michael Digal by providing housing, school fees for children and spiritual support for the widows.

Just last month, on Dec. 15, 2011, Christian legal activist Rabindra Parichhawas was murdered in Bhanjanagar. Attackers slit his throat and shot him before dumping his body.

These murders are evidence of the ongoing Hindu agenda to rid Kandhamal district of non-Hindus. During a Hindu supremacy rally in July 2011, Hindu-fundamentalist BJP political party members proclaimed, “Hindus are brothers; all others are traitors.” GCIC also reports that a BJP leader has been visiting Kandhamal villages, urging faithful Hindus to finish off Christian leaders one by one.

We went to many remote villages in the area. The people are mainly Muslim or Hindu belief. We split up into two teams. The first team was Lijo and Johnson. The other team was Joseph and me. Pastor Paul and Babu stayed at the van and preached. Each team went to the houses and small village shops to distribute gospel tracts.

After an hour and a half we would pack up and move on to the next area and do the same things again.

The very last place we came to was a Roman Catholic area. We thought this would be a good area since most of the people here are Christians.

It was an unusually hot day especially it being the middle of January!   From a distance I could see the local roman catholic priest and a group of men talking among themselves. Then they started walking towards the van.

I yelled out “excuse me sir, is there something wrong?”

He turned to me and asked, who are you? What organazition are you with? I answered all of his questions. But he did not like the answers. The priest said to me “This is my place here and you can not preach here nor can you distribute any gospel tracts here. While he was talking to me he could hear the preaching going on. What is going on over there he asked? He started to run towards Pastor Paul while he was preaching.  I called out to the priest, “wait, im going there too. Lets walk together and talk.” But he didnt wait for us he was running to pastor paul where he was preaching. By the time Joseph & I got there more than 25 people showed up and the priest made Pastor Paul to stop preaching. We were preaching in a public place, in the public road side. I knew the priest had no right th tell us we cannot preach there. We were not going into anyone’s home. The reason we stopped preaching is because I know if we make any other decision it will cause a religious problem to arise. When things like this happen there will always be two sides. Some on our side & some on the Priest’s side. Before I knew it there were two groups of people that had gathered around. The group with the Priest kept shouting for us to leave & stop preaching. The other people were shouting back, leave him alone he hasnt done anything wrong. You have no authority here for this is a public place.

I could tell that this was not going to end peacefully if we didnt leave. Before leaving I told the priest we are leaving this place but the judgement will be upon you for this.

The priest said dont you worry I will take care of that.

In my 20 years of ministry I have never seen a Catholic Priest coming out from his church and telling us not to preach. It makes me wonder… Where is the Catholic church running to……..?  What do they stand for….?

What are they preaching…..? Are they preaching the Bible….. or are they taking all their followers to hell???

It is very scarey and disturbing to my soul when I think about these things!

In His Mission,

Shajan

Favouring the proposal of the BJP government in Karnataka, Chief Minister Gowda said he would seek public opinion for the inclusion of Gita in primary and secondary schools.

“The Bhagavad Gita doesn’t belong to a particular religion or a sect as its teachings are universal. It aims at refining mankind and other religions have appreciated its philosophical teachings,” Gowda said. 

Expressing confidence that all sections of people would agree to the government’s proposal, Gowda said the religious text was already being taught in Madhya Pradesh.

“Before introducing the Bhagavad Gita in primary and secondary schools, the government will have a thorough discussion with a cross-section of the society. We do not want any controversy in this regard,” Gowda told reporters. 

The Chief Minister was speaking on the sidelines of Shri Bhagavad Gita Abhiyan Mahasamarpana function organised by various religious mutts in Bangalore.

Following his statement on introducing Gita, a group led by senior advocate Professor Ravi Varma Kumar criticised the proposal and said under no circumstance can religion be introduced in schools set up in a secular atmosphere.

“The government cannot impose religion on anyone. Under the Education Act and also the Constitution, they have no right to do so. The Constitution ensures the Right to Religion and what the government is trying to do is contrary to what the Constitution says,” Kumar said.

“A religious book cannot be a text book under any circumstance. The law of the land is very clear and that there cannot be religious education in schools as it violates the secular fabric of the country. The government is attempting to propagate religion and this is wrong,” Kumar told Rediff web portal.
Last year, a controversy was sparked when Primary and Secondary Education Minister Vishwanath Hegde Kageri issued a circular that proposed the teaching of Gita to primary and secondary school children daily for one hour. 

“As the education minister I support the campaign. The government is ready to give money to mutts that support religion and culture, which the government believes in. Nobody can question it,” Kageri said.

The July circular was challenged by several religious groups on grounds that it went against the Constitution and affected the religious beliefs and sentiments of minority communities.

A petition filed by the Karnataka State Minorities Educational Institutions Managements Federation said the circular was contrary to the rights guaranteed to minority institutions and violated Section 7(g) 3 of Karnataka Education Act which upholds unity, sovereignty and integrity of the nation.

Protests were subsequently held by political and religious organisations condemning the attempt to “communalise” education.

We recently had two VBS programs in our local area of Vellikulangara.

We had 200 children attend. We played special games, taught songs. taught Bible stories, had water balloon fights & jumped in the Moon Walk.

These children we so happy to be there & eager to learn.

We had such a wonderful time.