Maharashtra state to renounce their faith in Christ, in a case that has underscored concern among churches and advocacy groups over anti-Christian incidents in rural India, news reports said Friday, September 30.
Pastor Sarichand Chauhan, area coordinator of the Indian Evangelical Team (IET), told Compass Direct news agency that the chief of the village of Jamanya asked all believers to come for a "conflict resolution" meeting earlier this week, shortly after a Christian yougman was allegedly beaten and abducted by radical Hindus.
However he said it became clear during the village court meeting that local leaders threatened to beat the Christian families if they refuse to renounce their faith in a repeat of the May violence here, which made international headlines.
"Initially, the believers were asked to renounce their faith in Christianity," Chauhan reportedly added. "But when they strongly refused to do so, the leaders of the village asked them at least not to allow any Christian from outside to enter their village."
After Christians refused and said they needed Christian teachers to come and teach them about their Scripture, leaders allegedly exploded in anger. [They] "left the meeting, saying that if Christians from outside the village were beaten up, they [the leaders] would not be responsible,” the pastor said.
STRONGMAN
The meeting was allegedly led by a local strongman known only as Mangilal, of Talalvi village in the Malkhera area. Also presiding over the meeting was the sub-head of Jamanya, Pratap Deeta Barela, and officials from nearby villages.
It came after 25-year old Neta Gyansingh from a neighboring village told Compass Direct he was attacked by Hindu villagers September 23 when traveled to Jamanya village to visit a believer’s family. "They handcuffed me for five minutes and then made me sit on a cot. Later, they punched me in my face, chest and back, and hit me with sticks on my hands before locking me up in the room."
He was quoted as saying that the following day, nearly 24 hours later, a "Hindu extremist" and another resident came and took him to his village, Sirval where they warned him in front of the village chief that he "should never visit Jamanya again or they would chop off" his "hands and legs."
ATTACKS
The young man was one of several Christians attacked in recent days and months. A day before the September 23 incident, the house of another local Christian, identified as Saimal Mohan Singh Barela, was allegedly attacked by three men by Hindu militants.
Pastor Chauhan reportedly said that "three men armed with sharp weapons came to the house of Barela to attack him, but, fortunately, Barela had fled away with his family as he had learned about the intended attack."
The three men, however, managed to broke the lock, entered the house, and ransacked Barela’s kitchen and destroyed two stoves made of bricks and soil, Compass Direct reported. "Barela has not yet returned to his house and is living in his relative’s house with his wife and children for fear of his life," Chauhan was quoted as saying.
POLICE
Police was due to arrive in the area to investigate the situation in the troubled village where radical Hindu villagers reportedly attacked 11 Christian families, sexually molesting the women, on May 16 when they refused to give up their faith. These families were later ostracized by their fellow Hindu villagers, Compass Direct reported.
Several human rights groups and churches have expressed concern about attacks of Hindu militants who have accused missionaries of misusing poverty of Hindus to forcibly convert" them to Christianity. The churches have strongly denied these charges, saying Christianity is based on a free choice and a personal decision for Jesus Christ. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from India).
