Prayer and Persecution Response Centre", amid "increasing anti-Christian violence in India."
Based in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state, the Centre will also "protect, encourage and edify Christian workers facing persecution," the group announced. "Encouraged by the overwhelming response to our initiatives and responses to persecution in India, we have decided to upgrade our facility to 24 hours and seven days of the week," explained Sajan K George, national convener of the GCIC, in an interview with the BosNewsLife New Delhi Bureau.
"The GCIC Prayer and Persecution Response Center will be unique in India, and may be even in South Asia, as we plan to provide relief, rehabilitation, and awareness among Christians," he said.
The initiative comes at a time of concern among human rights groups that Saturday’s earth quake, which doctors warned may have killed 40,000 people especially in Pakistan, will add to suffering of persecuted Christians in the region, BosNewsLife established earlier.
"IMMEDIATE PRAYER SUPPORT"
George said the GCIC Centre plans to provide "immediate prayer support, specialized medical treatment and facilities, and encouragement and support to those who are attacked for the sake of the Gospel." The GCIC also helps regional coordinators to visit affected Christians and areas.
George claimed that "many Christian pastors are haunted by allegations of forced conversions but they did not know the modus operandi of securing Constitutional protections." He said the GCIC, in consultation with affected pastors and other Christian workers, had formulated "a workable module" to respond to anti-Christian attacks.
He alleged that incidents of anti-Christian violence are increasing. "Now there are many motivated and planned attacks in many of the states ruled by pro Hindu radicals. Last six months witnessed six murders and over 20 major attacks," he added.
ANTI CONVERSION LAWS
George said Christians were facing the brunt of anti-conversion laws in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat. States like Rajasthan and Jharkhand are also planning to introduce anti-conversion laws.
In one recent incident last week, authorities imprisoned a Christian worker in the town of Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, on charges of "converting young children from poor Hindu families to Christianity," Christian news agency Compass Direct reported.
Indore police arrested Sunny John under the state anti-conversion law after members of the Hindu group Dharma Raksha Samiti, or Religious Protection Committee, surrounded the Heera Nagar police station protesting "conversions" on October 7, reported the Pioneer, a national daily.
SCHOOL CHILDREN
John, an independent worker who runs three schools for children, was reportedly accused of converting 11 children between the ages of 5 and 10 who were residing in his school children’s home at Sunder Nagar Extension in Indore. Indira Iyengar, member of the State Minorities Commission and John denied the charges.
Hindu groups, including some politicians, have defended their policy and accused "foreign missionaries" of misusing desperate social circumstances to press their Christian believes on impoverished minorities, charges especially evangelical Christians strongly deny.
George told BosNewsLife he was also concerned about discrimination of Christians in the working place. "Poor Christians from Dalit and tribal backgrounds are denied jobs. In addition, justice is either denied or delayed for most of the poor Christians," he said. The GCIC official said he feared that a "conglomeration of Hindu radicals was using the government machinery and funds earmarked for parliamentarians to force conversion of Christians and thereby take over churches."
