Hindu extremists in India this month sought to shame and malign Christians, as four women were publicly beaten in one village and a teacher was falsely accused of child molestation in another, sources said.
In India’s eastern state of Jharkhand, 11 assailants dragged four Christian women from their prayer meeting on Feb. 8 in Navardi, Chatra to a public meeting site where they beat them and partially stripped one, sources said. The women had just finished their meeting at a home when the Hindu extremists charged in, reviled them for praying to Christ and dragged them out to the road, said area church leader Rampath Nayak.
As the husbands of the four women worked in the fields, the extremists took Shanti, Samudri, Sonamati and Yasoda (surnames withheld for security reasons) to a public meeting place, placed them on a platform and started beating them with their hands and shoes, he said.
Later, saying Yasoda was the leader and responsible for more people joining the prayer meeting, the Hindu extremists stripped off her sari as they mocked and hurled obscenities at her and tore her blouse, the traumatized woman told Morning Star News.
“I asked them what crime did I do for them to do this to me and asked them to stop, but they would not stop and said that I should stop following Christ and stop praying to Jesus, and that then all this will cease”, the sobbing Christian said.
As they continued cursing at and slapping the women, the assailants tried to force them to sign a paper stating that they would be charged a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$800) if they continued to pray to Jesus. The extremists also said that they would falsely charge them with stealing and put them behind bars if they did not worship Hindu deities.
The women returned home with swollen faces, bruises and abrasions. Their families took them to a local hospital later that evening.
“They are all recovering, except that Yasoda is still complaining of pain in the left part of her chest,” said Pastor Nayak. Yasoda said she is refusing to show her face in public because of shame she feels over the mistreatment.
Area police Station House Officer Ajay Kumar Gupta told Morning Star News that officers have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the attackers, and that further protection will be given to the Christians.
The four women and their families put their faith in Christ in 2010. “We will give our lives for Christ, we are not frightened, we will only worship Christ,” one of them said.
Also in Jharkhand, Hindu extremists on Feb. 2 helped the mother of a student at a Christian school to accuse a teacher of molesting her daughter.
Shouting anti-Christian chants at Holy Family School in Barhawa, Sahibang, a large crowd of Hindu extremists damaged school and church properties as the mother of a fifth-grade girl, Keona Mondol, filed a complaint that teacher Bhim Kujur had molested her. The mother complained to the school principal and then went to the classroom and slapped Kujur as an angry crowd shouted “Jai Shri Ram” (Hail Lord Ram).
The throng of hundreds hurled stones and bricks at the school and at a nearby church building, calling the Christians “beef-eaters” and telling them to go back to their places of origin, according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI). They also threatened to break Christian statues.
“The accusation against Bhim Kujur was totally false”, said a representative of the Holy Family School, P.S. Chacko, according to EFI. “Most students, including Keona Mondol, gave Christmas cards to Kujur, and he happily accepted them.”
When school authorities interrogated all fifth-grade students, they said they saw no sign of their teacher misbehaving with the girl, he said.
“The town’s people are wondering if the sudden unprovoked attempt was staged to malign the Holy Family School and the Christian religion”, the school representative said.
Please pray for these four women and their families, as well as all Christians in this region. Please also pray that the Hindus in the region see that Jesus is Lord and accept Him as their savior.-Morning Star News
1st stop your “conversion of Hindus” nonsense, just because Hindus are tolerant Christian missionaries see vast opportunities to spread Christianity in India, Christians denigrate Hindu religion & theirs gods, Do they have to feel good? What if Jesus gets denigrated in-front of Christians? Are they going to feel joyous, happy? Will they be calm?
Just recently Christian husband beat & tortured his Hindu wife because she worshipped Hindu gods, as a result that lady committed suicide, this is happening in 21st century, is your religion really tolerant? How many so called Christian condemned it & how much media covered that story? But if its vice-versa the entire country would have jumped on the Hindu husband just like in this case.
You people don’t see even being minority Christians are denigrating Hindu religion, talking against about it. You can’t see how many anti-Hindu sentiments are in west for Hindus. But now Hindus have started show the same sentiments against other religion you are making news of it & publishing like this.
Why you Christians stay happy with your own beliefs? Why you have this need in your blood to hurt other’s beliefs & put your own beliefs in their throat by denigrating their religion & gods?
Why Jesus is the savior? Who says that? It’s just a belief.
Why don’t you join Hinduism? It’s a 1st & oldest religion & it has given a birth to extensive knowledge?
It teaches spirituality, mediation which even science can’t deny, but unlike Christians, Hindus don’t go & shout that your religion is false, Jesus is fake. Hindus respect other’s religion as well as their gods & beliefs which you Christians can never have.
Hindus have shown lot of tolerance throughout the centuries & as a result Hindus have suffered a lot, but now the patience is at limits & this is the outcome.
If you Christians keep doing that with the help of Vatican & its funding, Hindus won’t sit & watch as you keep dreaming of finishing Hinduism in India & replace it with Christianity.
Dear Nikhil,
I will condemn the Christian husband who beat and tortured his wife. There is no excuse for this behavior among those who follow Jesus.
Also, the Bible calls on Christians to be ready to have an answer for the hope that lies in their hearts, but to communicate the message with gentleness and respect. Any Christians who shove the message down people’s throats or hurt others harm their own cause.
Respectfully,
Mark Ellis
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