THREE CHRISTIAN MEN in India suffered a heavy beating from a mob of Hindu extremists and faced legal charges afterwards over allegations they were forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity.
According to Barnabas Fund, a group of 50-60 Hindu extremists attacked Pastor Bharat Kumar Wadhwani, Pastor Vijay Paul and church member Moses Edward on June 19 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh.
They were visiting another Christian friend when a mob of the pro-Hindu group, Hindu Dharam Sena, suddenly showed up in their friend’s house and started accusing them of doling out money and benefits for Hindus to convert. The attackers also threatened and told them to stop praying and meeting with other Christians.
The Hindu mob led by Yogesh Agrawal then brought the trio outside where they thrashed the Christians with a cricket bat and vandalized their car. Afterwards, they took the assaulted Christians to Gorakhpur Police Station where charges of violations awaited them.
However, Wadhwani took the opportunity to turn the experience around to the Christians’ advantage.
“We got to testify about Christ and it is worth the beating we suffered,” the pastor told Barnabas Fund.
He also claimed that the police treated them very differently from the Hindu extremists.
“One of the senior police officers told us that it has become the daily routine of the right-wing organisations to catch pastors and evangelists and drag them to the police station,” Wadhwani said. “There is political pressure and the police are sandwiched between the two.”
Humanitarian groups believe Christian persecution has significantly risen since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party, Bharatiya Janata Party, assumed the government.
“They are wolves in sheep’s clothing,” president of the International Christian Concern, Jeff King told FoxNews.com.
King said about Modi, “His silence is tacit approval.”
David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, shared King’s opinion.
“The central government has refused to speak out against the atrocities – thus further encouraging radical Hindus to step up their discrimination against Christians,” Curry said.
