February 10, 2009
by John M. Lindner, D.Miss.

Thirteen months after Hindu militants attacked Christians on Christmas Eve, 2007, and five months after the even more massive brutalities that began on August 24, 2008—and continued for well over a month—here is a look at the ongoing situation of Christians in India today.

Deteriorating attention

Christians continue to be attacked, beaten, and harassed in various places of India, including Orissa. The federal military protection forces have been withdrawn from Orissa, or at least reduced. The government is disbanding the resettlement camps and ordering its residents to return home. The argument is that violence in the affected districts has ceased.

However, most victims remaining in the camps feel unsafe to return to their home areas. They point out that the reason violence has ceased is because there are no longer any Christians in the villages, and the reason no more homes of Christians are being burned is because they are all burned. Some displaced persons who have attempted to return to their villages have been met with demands that they become Hindus or leave. So displaced persons leaving the camps are trying to relocate elsewhere. Your prayers and support for them are still coveted.

The India Supreme Court has told the Orissa State government if it cannot protect the minorities it should resign. These words are welcome but are mere rhetoric. We don’t expect any change in the government, as right-wing Hindus don’t voluntarily resign from power, and there seems to be no backbone in India to force any such action.

Still unrest continues all across India as Christians are attacked somewhere nearly every day. The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) and Compass Direct (CD) have listed the following attacks since the first of this year. Though these attacks don’t match the massive brutality of the Orissa attacks, they show the climate of persecution and harassment in which Christians must practice their faith in India today. Some abbreviations and terms are identified below.

A constant barrage of attacks

Jan. 1 – Hindu extremists burned a house church of Resurrected God’s Ministry in Malai Bennur, Karnataka, and threatened to burn Pastor B. Gangadhar and his family alive. This was the second attack on the pastor since 2007. One suspect has been arrested. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 4 – About 25 people belonging to the Hindu extremist group Bajrang Dal, stormed the worship service of the India Christian Revival Mission in Kanakapura, Karnataka, verbally abused the congregation, and then chased them from the building. They also repeatedly beat the pastor and his son, and took them to the police station, where the falsely charged them with practicing forced conversion. When the Global Council for Indian Christians intervened, a compromise was reached. The pastor said he would not file charges and was released, and the police promised adequate protection. (CD)

Jan. 5 – Some miscreants had taken trash left from a Dec. 25 church picnic in Chhattisgarh to the temple and took a picture. Hindu extremists then used that photo to file charges against the church for desecrating a Hindu temple. On that basis police arrested nine Christians and the associate pastor of Bastar for Christ Church. They were released on bail the same day. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 5 – Police arrested two Christians in Kashalpura village of Madhya Pradesh on the basis of a complaint by a group of RSS and VHP hard-line Hindus that they engaged in forceful conversion and defiled a place of (Hindu) worship with intent to insult. The Christians were released on bail Jan. 7. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 5 – Police arrested three Christians in Bangalore on charges of luring a man to convert to Christianity with monetary incentives by offering the man money and a job if he converted. They were also charged with trespassing and denigrating Hindu gods. They were later released on bail. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 5 – Pastor Kantilal Bhuria was conducting a house-blessing meeting when it was stormed by about 10 members of the RSS & VHP, who assaulted the Christians and charged the pastor with forcible conversions. The extremists called the police, who came and arrested the victims, allowing the attackers and accusers to remain free. (CD)

Jan. 7 – St. Legory’s School in Merlapadavu village in Karnataka state handed out Bibles on Jan. 2, with the public announcement that these were only for Christians. Still, some non-Christians took some copies. Hindu extremists then came and beat a teacher at the school on Jan. 7, falsely charging the school with distributing Bibles to Hindus. The teacher said he filed a complaint with the police and said he could identify his attackers, but no arrests had been made by the time the news item was released. (CD)  

Jan. 9 –Pastor Iswar Albannavar of Throne of Grace Ministry was conducting an evening prayer meeting when police entered and arrested him and another Christian on the basis of a complaint filed by Hanmant Gargoti on the basis of section 153-A of the Indian Penal Code which makes it a crime to hurt the religious sentiments of others. They are still in jail as this newsletter is released. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 11 – Two couples were the only Christians in their village and worshiped at Calvary Gospel Centre in Tiptur. About 10:30 p.m. nine local Hindu extremists barged into their house, abused them with foul language, accused them of forced conversions, and burned their Bibles. They then threatened to burn down their houses if they continued to go to church. Then police arrived, arrested the couples and took them to jail. When the pastor from Tiptur arrived the next morning, police refused to allow him to file a complaint, and instead insisted the Christians forgive their attackers before they could be released. (CD)

Jan. 16 – Six persons with their faces masked barged into Pastor Yakobu Jacob’s house, beat him, shaved his head, and burned his house and all his belongings, saying they would not tolerate any Christian pastor in their village. The pastor filed charges with the police, but no arrests have yet been made. (CD)

Jan. 18 – About 1000 Hindu extremists in Palnar, Chhattisgarh, shouted anti-Christian slogans against Christians, expressed their intention to wipe out all Christian activity in that area, and attacked and beat many Christians. After calls by several Christian leaders, police came and dispersed the crowd. (EFI)

Jan. 18 – Police questioned a pastor in Annupur, Madhya Pradesh, after hard-line Hindus found the book, Secularism and Hindutva by M.G. Matthew, in the Christian bookstall during a three-day Christian convention. The Hindus filed a complaint that some of the statements in the book hurt Hindu religious sentiments, a crime in India. The police said they took the pastor into custody for his safe keeping, though no charges were filed. They also told him to be ready for further questioning. (EFI, CD)

Jan. 22 – Hindu extremists from the RSS assaulted Pastor T.T. Abraham of the Brethren Assembly Church in Kerala state for distributing gospel tracts. They punched and kicked the pastor until he fell unconscious on the road and left only when they saw an approaching rickshaw. The rickshaw driver took the pastor to the government hospital, saving his life. The pastor said he forgave his attackers and chose not to file a complaint against them. (EFI)

Jan. 24 – In Assam a congregation of about 400 Christians went to Majuli Island to witness the ordination ceremony of the first Mishing Catholic priest. On the way back, they were attacked by a mob of 600 Hindu extremists from a local group affiliated with the RSS. The mob kicked, punched and beat the Christians, including women and children, and forced them to walk barefoot, while pulling their ears for 5 km. The incident lasted an hour and ended when police finally arrived in response to a call by a participating priest. No arrests had been made by the time the report was sent to me on Feb. 6. (EFI)

Jan. 26 – Some 12 extremists from the RSS barged into St. Mary’s School in Kandri, Andhra Pradesh, charging them with not flying the Indian flag on Republic Day. The extremists destroyed furniture, broke window panes, and physically attacked the sisters. School officials explained that the flag had not been raised outside since students had stayed home because of the solar eclipse, but that the flag had been displayed inside the school. A deputy police official said only that a “compromise” between the attackers and the school had been reached. (CD)

Jan. 30 – While members of the Navjivan (New Life) Fellowship Church were conducting a baptism at Gangapur Dam in Maharashtra, a group of 10 to 12 men armed with cricket stumps, iron rods and sticks came and beat the Christians, including women and children, and damaged a car. Several Christians suffered injuries such as a fractured hand, a broken leg, and head injuries. The group left behind no clues to their identity. (CD)

Of course, we don’t know how many additional incidents occurred that were never reported to authorities.  

Remembering Orissa’s Martyrs

Almost exactly 10 years ago, on January 22, 1999, Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two boys, Philip (9) and Timothy (7) were burned alive in their station wagon in a village in Orissa. Militant Hindu radicals poured a flammable substance over the station wagon while Graham and his boys were sleeping in it, set it on fire, prevented them from escaping, and clubbed or threatened anyone attempting to help them.

Graham Staines was a worker with the Evangelical Missionary Society of Mayurbhanj, and managed the leprosy home there. He was fluent in Oriya, the main language of Orissa, and assisted in translating parts of the Bible into the Ho language.

Ravindra Pal Singh, who had adopted the name of a famous Indian movie actor, Dara Singh, was arrested and confessed to the murder. Later, others claimed involvement. In 2001 Singh was convicted and given the death sentence and others life imprisonment. In 2005 the Orissa High Court commuted Sing’s sentence to life imprisonment, and acquitted the others.

Glossary

Bajrang Dal = Army of the Strong, a militant young people’s wing of the RSS and worshipers of the monkey god, Hanuman.

RSS = Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or National Volunteer Society, a nationalistic Hindu group.

VHP = Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu Council, an association of Hindu organizations promoting “India is for Hindus” nationalism.