EFI NEWS
The Evangelical Fellowship of India would appreciate your prayers for the following incidents:
Pastor attacked in Haryana
Pastor Aashish John and six other preachers were brutally beaten by around 100 Bajrang Dal activists on January 1 in Jind, Haryana.
The incident took place during the afternoon worship service being conducted by the pastor, which was attended by around 20 worshippers. During the service, the radicals barged inside the church and disrupted the prayer service and attacked those present. There was also substantial damage to the church property. Foreseeing further attacks, Pastor John and his team immediately vacated the area.
Later, the Hindutva extremists tried to file a complaint against Pastor Ashish John with false charges of conversions by allurement and fraudulent means.
So far no case has been filed in this instance.
Pray for Pastor Aashish and the believers in Jind- that they would continue to remain strong in their faith and also for their safety.
Christians attacked in Chhattisgarh
A group of about 30-40 Hindutva activists attacked Pastor Dev Singh Mankipuri on January 10 in Gatapur, about 40 kms away from Bhilai, Chhattisgarh.
This incident took place at about 5 pm when a worship service was organized in the residence of Narayan Sahu, a Christian. There were around 100-150 people attending the worship service when the activists barged inside the house and started beating the Christians present there.
Both Mr. Pradeep Verma and Pastor Mankipuri fainted on the spot as a result of the injuries sustained by them. Both men, however, were not hospitalized.
The activists filed a complaint against the pastor under section 107,116 of the CrPC.
Christian Legal Association member, Advocate W. P. Massey, along with local Christian pastors went to the area and helped secure bail for the arrested men.
Pastor arrested in Madhya Pradesh
Police arrested Pastor Rawat on January 11 in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh on the charges of forcible conversion.
The pastor was arrested under sections 147, 294, 323 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code and under Section 3 of the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act. Bhuri bai, a local woman, filed a complaint stating that the pastor tried to convert her by giving monetary incentives.
The pastor has denied all allegations and was released on bail.
Believer abducted in Jaspur, Chhattisgarh
Raju Soni, a recent believer, was abducted and taken to jail on January 13. Raju had been baptized on January 1 of this year and his community did not like him sharing his testimony.
This incident took place in Kanauri, Jaspur district of Chattisgarh. His wife went to file a First Information Report (FIR) about his whereabouts but the police refused to file a report. He is still locked up in the police thane.
Please pray that he will be released soon. |
