Indian Police Detain Tribal Evangelists
By Worthy News Asia Service
NEW DELHI, INDIA (Worthy News)-- Eleven tribal Christians in India's southern state of Karnataka were freeon bail Wednesday, February 17, after Indian police detained them for several days for allegedly "forcefullyconverting" Hindus to Christianity, rights investigators and Christian leaders said.
Advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC) told Worthy News and its partner BosNewsLife agency that police arrested the group,including four women, on February 1 in Thagadur village after "Hindu extremists" accused them of theforced conversions apparently because they were involved in evangelism.
"The extremists dragged the Christians out of their homes and assaulted them before filing a policecomplaint," the latest in a series of attacks against minority Christians, ICC added.
In published remarks, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India said the Christians were "tortured" atthe local Siddapur police station to pressure them to admit to the charges.
Police denied wrongdoing.
CHRISTIANS IN JAIL
The Christians were sent to Madikere district jail on February 2, ICC said, but "With theintervention of Christian leaders, police released the eleven Christians on bail on February 4."The released Christians have reportedly denied the charges.
Most of the Christians inThagadur are tribal and make a living working as laborers in coffee plantation, ICC said.
Christian leaders linked the brief detention to security forces being "confused" by "Hindu extremistpropaganda" and said officials often "erroneously" believe that laws against "fraudulent conversion" apply to"any kind of proclamation of faith."
Yet, ICC said it wasn't surprised about the latest reported incident. "Indian officials routinely accuseChristians of forcefully converting Hindus. Such charges are made to stop Christians from evangelizing to Hindus."
MORE VIOLENCE REPORTED
Last year, the highest number of attacks against Indian Christians took place in the state of Karnataka,where these latest attacks occurred, the group added.
"We condemn the Indian police for arresting and torturing the eleven tribal Christians," said ICC’sRegional Manager for Africa and South Asia, Jonathan Racho.
He said his organization had urged Indian authorities to "stop targeting the victims of persecution and protect them against attacks by Hindu radicals."
India is a predominantly Hindu nation, but violence against devoted minority Christians have increased inseveral parts of the country, according to church groups and rights activists. (With Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos).
Praying!
"My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:" Proverbs 1:10-14
O LORD Mercy
"My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof." Proverbs 1:15-19
And Grace To Karnataka State And Thagadur Village
"This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lamentations 3:21-23
Thank You LORD For Answered Prayer
In Jesus
Love
Joe