Nine Christians hospitalized after Hindu extremist attack on church

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A mob of radicalized Hindu nationalists beat up and hospitalized nine Christians during an attack on a church hall in India’s Chhattisgarh state earlier this month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

Worshippers had gathered for Sunday service at the church, which was founded by its current pastor in Koshalnar village in 2013 when the mob of Hindu radicals arrived and first surrounded the building. The mob then stormed in and violently attacked congregants, ICC said. Nine people were rushed to the hospital by the church community.

When the Hindus saw the pastor and his brother, they set upon the two, beating them with clubs and accusing them of deserting the Hindu faith, ICC said.

“Chhattisgarh is one of the 11 states where anti-conversion laws are implemented,” ICC said in its report. “These laws are misused by radical Hindu nationalists to harass and intimidate Christians. We pray for the recovery of our Indian brothers and sisters.”

In a website statement about the persecution of Christians in India, the Open Doors advocacy group explained this year: “The persecution of Christians in India is intensifying as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence.”

“The driving force behind this is Hindutva, an ideology that disregards Indian Christians and other religious minorities as true Indians because they have allegiances that lie outside India. It asserts that the country should be purified of their presence,” Open Doors said.

Ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party since 2014, India now ranks 10th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2022 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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