a native missionary and other alleged attacks by Hindu militants against Christians across the country. In a statement published by the Christian news agency Compass Direct, the All India Christian Council (AICC) said it was shaken by the gruesome murder of Rev. K. Daniel, who was previously only identified as Brother D. because of security fears for his family.
Christian Aid Mission (CAM), which supported Daniel and other native missionaries, told BosNewsLife Wednesday, April 25, that Hindu militants are believed to have poured acid over his body in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh state.
Daniel, a pastor from Neralla, Karimnagar district, died on May 20, according to an AICC news release, although other sources suggested this was the date when his body was discovered. He was likely killed on May 19, the day the High Court of India’s eastern coastal state of Orissa overturned a death sentence given to Dara Singh for his involvement in the murders of Australian Missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons Philip and Timothy in 1999.
"All India Christian Council condemns this gruesome murder,” said the organization in the statement released by Compass Direct. "The designs of religious fundamentalists could be easily seen in this incident and we condemn their acts. We demand that whoever may be the culprits, should be punished."
PAST THREATS
Sam Paul, national secretary of the AICC told Compass Direct that “Pastor K. Daniel had been threatened many times by the local Hindu group Rashtrya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). "Therefore, we highly suspect that religious fundamentalists were behind the brutal murder."
It comes amid growing concern within churches about Hindu violence in several states including in Gujarat, where a Christian couple is recovering from serious injuries after axe-wielding Hindu villagers reportedly assaulted them three weeks ago. Jamubhai Choudhary was allegedly slashed with an ax, and his wife, Jathriben, suffered a bone fracture.
“They were attacked on the evening of May 7 while they were returning from their field,” AICC Executive Samson Christian told Compass Direct. “Jamubhai received a deep cut on his head and fell unconscious on the spot, while his wife suffered a bone fracture in her right hand,” he was quoted as saying.
ARRESTS MADE
The Valia Taluka village chief, Roop Singh Bhai, told Compass Direct that officers had arrested two local men, Arjunbhai Devabhai Bema and Khansinghbhai Devabhai Bema, for assaulting the couple. He denied the attack was religiously motivated.
The AICC also listed other incidents of violence against Christians in the region. “In Sirsiclla and Siddipet areas, several fundamentalists are threatening and obstructing the normal conducting of worship services on a regular basis. There are complaints with police [sic] that never have seen any action from the police."
“Similarly, almost four years back, Pastor Prabhudas of Mustabad was murdered and no one is arrested yet in that case. This shows either connivance or negligence of police with the religious fundamentalists." The AICC said it is demanding a serious police investigation and it urged the government to "protect the peace-loving and peace-proclaiming pastors and evangelists from unnecessary harassment,” such as against the Choudharys.
CHRISTIANS MEET
Church workers in the region believe the couple was attacked because a small group of Christians were meeting for worship in their home every Sunday and they planned to construct a small church building there. Only 12 of the 130 families in the village are Christian, Compass Direct reported.
"Hindu fundamentalists have changed their usual way of attacking minorities in Gujarat after the riots of 2002, when the state was identified as the most communal [religiously divided] in India," AICC official Christian said. “Now they target Christians using local people, so that their attacks can be attributed to ‘personal disputes.’"
Christians also reportedly recall "the brutal beating of Sunil Benjamin Patel," a Christian teacher at a government school in Petia village, Valia Taluka, on March 14. “On March 6, a few days before the attack, about 10,000 people from different Hindu organizations had gathered under the banner of Dharma Raksha Samiti [association for the protection of religion] in the same village," Christian said. "The leaders of this gathering spoke out against Christian missionaries."
Police have arrested a member of a Hindu fundamentalist organization in connection with the assault, news reports said. (With Compass Direct. Based in New Delhi, Journalist Vishal Arora, 32, has covered persecution and other hard hitting news stories for a variety of international and national publications. He has traveled around the country on invitation by NGOs for seminars and talks on human rights, communalism, and religious persecution. Vishal Arora can be contacted at e-mail address vishalarora_in@hotmail.com or visit his website http://www40.brinkster.com/vishalarora/
