Christian Missionaries Attacked In Northern India; Eight Police Officers Suspended

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

NEW DELHI (Worthy News) – Eight police officers in northern India’s Jammu and Kashmir region have been suspended “for their failure” to stop an attack on Christian missionaries by Hindu nationalists last week, according to Christian human-rights investigators.

A group of about ten people reportedly assaulted a bus carrying missionaries from Kerala as they were leaving following a meal at a home in Juthana village. The village falls under the jurisdiction of the Jakhole police post within the Raj Bagh police station area in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, Christians said.

A video of the October 23 attack was widely circulated on social media, in which most of the police were seen as bystanders while angry Hindus armed with sticks and sharp weapons stopped and attacked the vehicle.

“As the vehicle stops, they launch a fierce attack. Police personnel stand nearby watching. The attackers smashed the front windshield and a side-view mirror of the bus, which was carrying a group of 10 to 15 Christian preachers,” added International Christian Concern (ICC), an advocacy group studying the footage.

Some of the attackers were seen proceeding to assault passengers inside the vehicle as the policemen watched “the violent spectacle without doing much to stop the attack,” ICC investigators said.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

Only one police officer was seen trying unsuccessfully to stop an attacker who opened the bus door. Anguished screams, including those of women inside the vehicle, were heard as the passengers were attacked.

“Following this, the Kathua Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohita Sharma suspended eight police officers, including the Jakhole police post in-charge, for not intervening during the assault,” ICC explained.

In addition to the suspensions, a First Information Report (FIR), necessary for a criminal investigation, was filed against some ten suspects for the assault, Worthy News learned.

Two of the suspects were already known to police for previous offences, according to sources familiar with the case.

“The attackers reportedly claimed the missionaries who came from South India were converting Hindus to Christianity. However, authorities stated that no evidence of forced conversion has been found, and an investigation is ongoing,” ICC said.

VIOLENT INCIDENTS

The latest reported attack is part of numerous violent incidents targeting India’s Christian minority—estimated at around 28 million people (about 2.3 percent of the population), according to human-rights activists.

India currently holds the 11th position on the annual Open Doors World Watch List, which ranks the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution for their faith.

Jammu and Kashmir—India’s northernmost region, bordering Pakistan and the Himalayas—has been under direct federal administration since 2019, when New Delhi revoked its semi-autonomous status.

The region remains one of the most heavily militarized areas in the world and has witnessed frequent clashes between religious and political groups, adding to tensions affecting Christian and other minority communities.

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