India: Christian man believed to have been killed by Hindu relatives

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A formerly Hindu man who converted to Christianity in India’s West Bengal state is missing, and it is believed he has been murdered by his Hindu family on account of his faith, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.

Madhab Gorai of West Bengal state’s Gobindapur village, Jhargram District, had become a Christian and had joined the Church of North India (CNI) congregation in the village, MSN reports. Gorai was last seen on August 7, after his Hindu wife and adult son threatened to burn him to death.

In a statement to MSN, CNI lay leader Ashish Hansda said Gorai’s wife had wanted him to perform Hindu rituals at their daughter’s upcoming wedding, but he had refused. “Gorai refused to involve himself in Hindu worship practices that contradicted his Christian faith,” church pastor Rev. Subendu Soren told MSN.

With the matter unresolved, Gorai’s wife and son arrived at the church on August 7, disrupting the service and armed with a bottle of gasoline and a wooden baton, MSN said. There was a scuffle at the church and eventually, Gorai left with his wife and son, purportedly to go home.

However, Gorai has not been seen since, and his fellow Christians believe he may have been murdered, MSN reports. Pastor Soren filed a complaint with the Lalgarh police station. “We do not know what caused his death, but this is for certain, that the family was persecuting him and pressuring him to participate in the Hindu rituals,” Pastor Soren told MSN.

Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India ranks 10th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous for Christians.

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