india horror Karnataka Most Dangerous State in India for Christians

Recent Incidents of Persecution



Extremists Accuse, Harass Orphanage Owner
   Published in 2006

November 13 (CDN) — November 13 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists in the southern state of Karnataka who yesterday slapped a convert suffering from blood cancer today threatened to keep area converts from joining churches. An alleged supporter of the Hindu ....
Killer of Driver Sentenced to Life in Prison    Published in 2006
November 13 (CDN) — November 13 (Compass Direct News) – A court in Gujarat state has handed down a sentence of life imprisonment – a maximum of 14 years, under Indian law – for a man who killed his Catholic driver for asking for an advance in pay to celebrate ....
Local Politician Incites Attack on Christians    Published in 2006
November 13 (CDN) — November 13 (Compass Direct News) –During a panchayat or village council meeting convened last Thursday (November 9) to address threats against Christians in a village in Chhattisgarh state, a local politician and his associates attacked six ....
More Villagers Forced to Bow to Hindu Deities    Published in 2006
November 7 (CDN) — November 7 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists yesterday forced Christians in the remote village of Bevainahalli, in the southern state of Karnataka, to bow down before Hindu deities and applied the vermilion mark to their foreheads. It was the ....
Court Hears Plea on Police Torture of Christians    Published in 2006
November 6 (CDN) — November 6 (Compass Direct News) – The high court of the western state of Gujarat today heard a counter complaint from eight Christians accused of forced conversion and attempted murder. The counter complaint charges that Hindu extremists attacked ....
Arrests of Christians Continue in Karnataka    Published in 2006
November 3 (CDN) — November 3 (Compass Direct News) – Police in the southern state of Karnataka have arrested four more Christians on charges leveled by Hindu extremists. Police in Udupi district on October 27 arrested four Christian youths, including three girls, for ....
Village Leader Seeks to Demolish House Church    Published in 2006
November 2 (CDN) — November 2 (Compass Direct News) – The high court of the western state of Gujarat on Monday (November 6) will hear a complaint by tribal Christians of Surat district that their village head has ordered them to demolish their house church. Vasantbhai ....
Christian Villagers Forced to Worship Hindu Deities    Published in 2006
November 1 (CDN) — November 1 (Compass Direct News) – Lambini tribal villagers in Karnataka state prohibited Pastor Revanna Naik and his congregation from worshiping on Sunday (October 29), instead forcing them to bow down and worship Hindu deities. Three of the 11 ....
Christian Arrested at Healing Festival    Published in 2006
October 31 (CDN) — October 31 (Compass Direct News) – Police last Friday (October 27) arrested a 25-year-old believer for “causing communal disharmony” after Hindu extremists harassed him for selling Christian literature at an evangelistic event in the eastern state ....
Christians Beaten for Refusing to ‘Reconvert’    Published in 2006
October 27 (CDN) — October 27 (Compass Direct News) – Ostracized by their village for the past year, two converts of a church in Madhya Pradesh state’s Shahdol district have been beaten for their refusal to return to the Hindu fold. Santu Prasad Barmaia and Kunjan ....
New Believer Arrested, Urged to Frame Pastor    Published in 2006
October 26 (CDN) — October 26 (Compass Direct News) – Police this morning arrested a recent convert in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state for the second time in three days in an apparent attempt to pressure him to give evidence that his pastor forcibly converted him. By ....
Christians Dismissed from Operating Health Center    Published in 2006
October 19 (CDN) — October 19 (Compass Direct News) – Accusing a Christian-run health center of forcible conversions, the Chhattisgarh state government has ordered the takeover of the facility and fired 17 of its employees. Chhattisgarh, controlled by the Hindu ....
Police in India Arrest Workers at Home for Destitute    Published in 2006
October 17 (CDN) — October 17 (Compass Direct News) – Eight Christian workers at a home for the destitute in Karnataka state are in jail on charges of wrongful confinement and abduction after 500 villagers on Saturday (October 14) stormed the facility based on false ....
Christians Beaten, Detained Following Media Reports    Published in 2006
October 11 (CDN) — October 11 (Compass Direct News) – A church in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur district cancelled its weekly meeting yesterday (October 10) due to tensions in the region following false reports of conversions in newspapers. The reports led to two attacks in ....
Christians Attacked, Threatened in Andhra Pradesh    Published in 2006
October 9 (CDN) — October 9 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh attacked at least four Christians in the last three weeks, including beating three Dalits and threatening to have their government benefits withdrawn. On ....
Youth Abducted, Tonsured for Receiving Christ    Published in 2006
October 6 (CDN) — October 6 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists in the western state of Orissa on Wednesday (October 4) abducted a Christian youth from his house and tortured and tonsured him, allegedly to punish him for accepting Christianity. Ranjan Dangua of ....
Political Fears Spur Anti-Christian Violence    Published in 2006
October 4 (CDN) — October 4 (Compass Direct News) – Growth in the incidence of violence against Christians in India this year is rooted largely in the political insecurity of Hindu nationalists, sources say. Increased attacks against Christians this year have grown ....
Christians Attacked, Charged With Attempted Murder    Published in 2006
September 29 (CDN) — September 29 (Compass Direct News) – Seven Christians working with the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) in India’s Gujarat state were released on bail this morning. The group was charged with attempted murder after Hindu extremists waylaid and ....
Beatings, Threats Continue in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2006
September 26 (CDN) — September 26 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists severely beat two pastors on September 24 in Madhya Pradesh, India, before dragging them to a police station and accusing them of “forcing” conversions. Two days earlier, extremists had attacked ....
Christians Protest Punjab Church Attack    Published in 2006
September 21 (CDN) — Vandalized church propertyPhoto: Bishop P. K. Samantaroy September 21 (Compass Direct News) – Christians in Amritsar, in India’s Punjab state, will stage a rally on Friday (September 22) to protest last week’s attack on a 200-year-old church in ....
State Modifies Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2006
September 20 (CDN) — September 20 (Compass Direct News) – The Gujarat state assembly House, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Tuesday passed a bill to modify the state anti-conversion law of 2003, with intent to clear various legal hurdles that have prevented ....
Muslim Militants Attack Christian Missionary School    Published in 2006
September 18 (CDN) — September 18 (Compass Direct News) – On Monday (September 11), Muslim militants attacked the Good Shepherd Mission School in Pulwama, Jammu and Kashmir state, destroying the boundary wall and damaging the school building and equipment. The school is ....
More Christians Attacked in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2006
September 15 (CDN) — September 15 (Compass Direct News) – Attacks against Christians in Madhya Pradesh continued this week, with Hindu extremists attacking at least three Christian gatherings. A total of eight Christians were accused of attempted forced conversion or ....
Hindu Extremists Trap, Beat 60-Year-Old Evangelist    Published in 2006
September 8 (CDN) — September 8 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists investigating the activities of Varghese Thomas, an evangelist in Karnakata state, laid a trap for him on Sunday (September 3), before beating him and his wife. Thomas is 60 and his wife, Leelama, ....
Attacks against Christians Rise in Karnataka    Published in 2006
September 8 (CDN) — September 8 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists have levied charges of “forced” conversion and launched several attacks on Christians in the southern state of Karnataka. Two pastors in the coastal town of Akkiallur in Haveri district were ....
Christians Accused of Concealing Identity Attacked    Published in 2006
September 6 (CDN) — September 6 (Compass Direct News) – A leader of the Hindu militant group Bajrang Dal on Sunday (September 3) led an attack on a church in Jammu and Kashmir state where about 20 members, including seven Christians facing charges of “concealing ....
Seven Christians Arrested for ‘Concealing Identity’    Published in 2006
September 1 (CDN) — September 1 (Compass Direct News) – A court in Jammu and Kashmir state today granted bail to two pastors and five Bible students who had been detained by police yesterday on charges of “concealing identity” and “forced conversion.” Pastor P.R. ....
Extremist Attacks against Christians Mount    Published in 2006
August 28 (CDN) — August 28 (Compass Direct News) – Multiple attacks and arrests in recent weeks demonstrate ongoing hostility towards Christians in India. Police have cooperated with Hindu extremists, in some cases claiming “tremendous pressure” to charge Christian ....
Town Plans Ban on Preaching Non-Hindu Faiths    Published in 2006
August 24 (CDN) — August 24 (Compass Direct News) – The Congress Party-led government of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh has decided to enact a law banning preaching of any religion other than Hinduism in Tirupati, a “temple town” in large measure under the ....
Four Christians Attacked, Arrested after Service    Published in 2006
August 22 (CDN) — August 22 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists on Sunday (August 20) beat four Christians, including a pastor, who were later arrested on charges of “forced conversion” in Madhya Pradesh state. A group of about 15 extremists punched and hit the ....
Pastor in Jabalpur Arrested for ‘Forcible Conversion’    Published in 2006
August 16 (CDN) — August 16 (Compass Direct News) – A group of 45 to 50 Dharma Raksha Sena Hindu extremists on Monday (August 14) mobbed Pastor Vinod Karsal, 50, as he was praying for the healing of another pastor in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Pastor Shaun Kushwaha, ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Jailed Christian    Published in 2006
August 14 (CDN) — August 14 (Compass Direct News) – A group of about 15 Hindu extremists in the southern state of Karnataka on August 4 entered a jail and attacked a Christian businessman accused of compelling his wife to commit suicide. “About 15 extremists of the ....
Four Women Accused of ‘Forced’ Conversion    Published in 2006
August 11 (CDN) — August 11 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists have threatened four Christian women accused of “forced” conversion in Tamil Nadu state, while two priests of a Catholic high school in neighboring Karnataka state have been attacked. Albert Lael, ....
Court Restores EMI Registration, Bank Accounts    Published in 2006
August 8 (CDN) — M.A. Thomas with orphans (Hopegivers)August 8 (Compass Direct News) – A day after extending the bail of leaders of Emmanuel Mission International (EMI), the Rajasthan High Court today restored the registration of five of the mission’s institutions ....
Court Extends Bail of EMI Founder, President    Published in 2006
August 7 (CDN) — Dr. Samuel ThomasAugust 7 (Compass Direct News) – The Rajasthan High Court today extended the interim bail of Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) founder Archbishop M.A. Thomas and his son Samuel Thomas, EMI president, to November 30. The court ....
State Tightens Controls on Conversions    Published in 2006
July 25 (CDN) — July 25 (Compass Direct News) – In spite of a national minority panel report confirming violence against Christians in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh, the state government today passed an amendment making stricter the “anti-conversion” ....
Christians Arrested for Visiting Hospital Patients    Published in 2006
July 24 (CDN) — July 24 (Compass Direct News) – Three young Christians visiting hospital patients – and four Bible students in a separate incident – were attacked and accused of “forced conversions” last week in the southern state of Karnataka. On July 17, at least ....
Mission Complex Vandalized in Karnataka    Published in 2006
July 21 (CDN) — July 21 (Compass Direct News) – Hindu extremists vandalized an indigenous church and ministry complex in Shivanapura district, Karnataka state, on Saturday night (July 15), rampaging through facilities and locking terrified residents in their ....
Pastor Arrested During Sunday Worship    Published in 2006
July 20 (CDN) — July 20 (Compass Direct News) – Police on Sunday (July 16) arrested Pastor Om Prakash Pandey while he was leading worship at his independent church in the village of Daksinwara, in the Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh state. The 27-year-old ....
Youths Set Fire to Orphanage, Harass Girls    Published in 2006
July 17 (CDN) — July 17 (Compass Direct News) – Unidentified youths early on July 6 harassed girls and launched an arson attack at the orphanage of Emmanuel Mission International in Rajasthan state’s Kota district.The incident took place at 2 a.m. when at least six ....
Christians Mocked Following Attack in Maharashtra    Published in 2006
July 6 (CDN) — July 6 (Compass Direct) – When four tribal Christians in Toranpada village, Maharashtra state, asked for help following an attack by Hindu extremists last month, police responded by taunting and kicking the victims, then filing charges against them. ....
Court in India Temporarily Restores EMI Licenses, Bank Accounts    Published in 2006
June 30 (CDN) — Archbishop Thomas with orphans (Hopegivers)June 30 (Compass Direct) – The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday (June 28) temporarily restored the registrations of five institutions run by Christian charity Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) and ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Church, Try to Burn Pastor    Published in 2006
June 22 (CDN) — June 22 (Compass Direct) – Hindu extremists on Sunday (June 18) broke into Hossana church in Kosa Nala, Bhilai district of Chattisgarh state, attacking Pastor David Raj and other church members, including his wife. They also placed a rubber tire ....
Rape Victims Charged with ‘Forced Conversion’    Published in 2006
June 20 (CDN) — June 20 (Compass Direct) –– Hindu extremists have filed a counter-complaint of “forced conversion” against two Christian women who had lodged rape charges against Hindu villagers in Madhya Pradesh state. The women had filed the charges on May 31 ....
State to Take Over EMI Institutions in Rajasthan    Published in 2006
June 19 (CDN) — EMI Orphans (courtesy Hopegivers Intl.)June 19 (Compass Direct) – The Rajasthan government on Wednesday (June 14) announced plans to take over five institutions operated by Emmanuel Mission International (EMI). EMI operates Emmanuel Bible Institute ....
Hindu Extremists Beat Pastor in Karnataka State    Published in 2006
June 15 (CDN) — June 15 (Compass Direct) – Hindu extremists on Sunday (June 11) dragged an independent pastor to a police station in Karnataka state, accusing him of converting Hindus to Christianity. They beat Pastor Sundar Rao severely both inside the police ....
Preacher Murdered in Andhra Pradesh    Published in 2006
June 12 (CDN) — June 12 (Compass Direct) – The body of Prem Kumar, a 67-year-old preacher from the Church of South India, was found last Thursday (June 8) in a forest in Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh state. Kumar’s head was crushed beyond recognition, ....
Police Force Neighbor of Christian to File Charge    Published in 2006
June 9 (CDN) — June 9 (Compass Direct) – Police raided a home in Jabalpur city, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday (June 6) and arrested the Christians there after officers and Hindu extremists pressured a neighbor to file a charge. The owner of the home, Meera Bai, 52, ....
Local Leader Threatens Christians after Rapes    Published in 2006
June 9 (CDN) — June 9 (Compass Direct) – The headman of 12 villages in Madhya Pradesh state, including Nadia village where two Christian women were raped on May 28, has asked Christians to renounce their faith or leave the village, a local source said. Pandya ....
Pastor Arrested after Attack by Hindu Extremists    Published in 2006
June 7 (CDN) — June 7 (Compass Direct) – A mob of Hindu extremists on Sunday (June 4) stormed a home prayer meeting in Mayapuri, Madhya Pradesh state and dragged Christians inside to a nearby temple to force them to bow before local gods, but it was the church ....
16 Christians Acquitted in Murder Case    Published in 2006
June 5 (CDN) — June 5 (Compass Direct) – A district court of Madhya Pradesh state has acquitted 16 Christians accused of killing a Hindu fundamentalist in the violence that erupted after the body of a young girl was found inside a Catholic school in Jhabua in ....
Hindu Villagers Gang-rape Two Christian Women    Published in 2006
June 2 (CDN) — June 2 (Compass Direct) – With the encouragement of a local chief and the apparent backing of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, villagers in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday (May 28) gang-raped two Christian women after the ....
New Charges Leveled Against EMI Leaders in India    Published in 2006
June 1 (CDN) — Dr. Samuel Thomas (photo: Hopegivers)June 1 (Compass Direct) – The administration of Rajasthan state’s Kota district has leveled fresh charges of “exciting . . . disaffection towards the government of India” against Emmanuel Mission International ....
State Secretly Surveys Churches, Missions    Published in 2006
May 31 (CDN) — May 31 (Compass Direct) – Preparation of a “data bank of churches and missionary organizations” by police in Rajasthan state’s Udaipur district has heightened fears of renewed harassment among the state’s miniscule Christian community. Christians in ....
Family in India Driven from Village for Embracing Christ    Published in 2006
May 26 (CDN) — May 26 (Compass Direct) – Animist worshipers of nature in a village in Jharkhand state this week humiliated and drove out a local family for becoming Christians. Santosh Karmali, 42, on Sunday (May 21) was forced to sign an agreement with followers ....
State Governor Rejects Anti-Conversion Bill    Published in 2006
May 22 (CDN) — May 22 (Compass Direct) – Amid widespread criticism of the Rajasthan anti-conversion bill by Christian and human rights organizations, Rajasthan Gov. Pratibha Patil on Friday (May 19) refused to sign it into law, saying its provisions would violate ....
Religious Freedom Panel Disappoints Christians    Published in 2006
May 16 (CDN) — May 16 (Compass Direct) – Christians weary of a multifaceted, state-backed assault on them were disappointed by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom’s (USCIRF) failure to include India in its 2006 recommendations as a Country of ....
Church Attacked, Pastor Arrested in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2006
May 15 (CDN) — May 15 (Compass Direct) – Hindu extremists yesterday vandalized an independent church in Gauri Nadi village, about 12 kilometers (seven miles) from Jabalpur city in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh. The mob beat a church member and lodged a ....
Woman Accuses Family of Attempted Forced Conversion    Published in 2006
May 11 (CDN) — May 11 (Compass Direct) – A woman in the city of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh state, has accused six of her uncles and their pastor of trying to forcefully convert her to Christianity. The men involved say the accusations are an attempt to get revenge ....
Police Investigate Easter Attack on Church in Punjab    Published in 2006
May 9 (CDN) — May 9 (Compass Direct) – Punjab police on Friday (May 5) assured members of a house church in Bhatinda district attacked by Hindu extremists during an Easter service that they would help negotiate a compromise with the attackers. Sukh Pal Singh, a ....
Police Collude with Extremists to Charge Christian    Published in 2006
May 4 (CDN) — May 4 (Compass Direct) – Police in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh state on Monday (May 1) colluded with Hindu extremists by having Christian “evidence” planted in a social worker’s personal bag in order to charge him with “forcible” conversion of ....
EMI President Released on Interim Bail    Published in 2006
May 2 (CDN) — Rev. Dr. Samuel Thomas (courtesy of Hopegivers Intl.)May 2 (Compass Direct) – The Rev. Dr. Samuel Thomas, president of the Emmanuel Mission International (EMI), was released from the Kota Central Jail today after the Rajasthan High Court granted him ....
Christians Decry Inequality of Religious Offense Law    Published in 2006
April 27 (CDN) — April 27 (Compass Direct) – Dr. John Dayal, president of the All India Catholic Union, has lodged an official complaint against L.K. Advani, former deputy prime minister and current leader of the opposition in Parliament, for hurting the religious ....
Court Grants Anticipatory Bail to EMI Founder    Published in 2006
April 25 (CDN) — April 25 (Compass Direct) – The Supreme Court of India on Friday (April 21) granted anticipatory bail to Archbishop M.A. Thomas, the founder of Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) who has been in hiding since authorities issued an arrest warrant ....
Pastors Arrested for ‘Fraudulent Conversion’    Published in 2006
April 19 (CDN) — April 19 (Compass Direct) – Police backed by Hindu extremists arrested Avinash Lal, an independent Pentecostal pastor from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh state, and six other Christian leaders last night (April 18) on charges on “fraudulent conversion.” ....
Violence Scars Easter Week in Three States    Published in 2006
April 17 (CDN) — April 17 (Compass Direct) – As Christians around the globe intoned, “Christ is risen” with hallelujahs yesterday, Easter in India was marred by violence. In the southern state of Karnataka, 15 Hindu extremists said to be from the Bajrang Dal (youth ....
Christians Attacked, Charged with Illegal Conversion    Published in 2006
April 13 (CDN) — April 13 (Compass Direct) – Extremists attacked two Christian schools and a private Christian gathering last week in Madhya Pradesh state and accused several Christians of carrying out “illegal conversions.” Christians responded with a protest march ....
Rajasthan State Anti-Conversion Bill Potentially ‘Explosive’    Published in 2006
April 13 (CDN) — April 13 (Compass Direct) – An anti-conversion bill passed by the Rajasthan state assembly last Friday (April 7) is unconstitutional and could lead to an “explosive situation” in the state, Christians say. Religious tensions in the state are already ....
RSS ‘Reconverts’ Over 300 Christians in Orissa    Published in 2006
April 12 (CDN) — April 12 (Compass Direct) – Hindu leaders attending a centenary celebration of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) last weekend converted at least 344 tribal Christians to Hinduism. Although police were present, they took no action to enforce ....
Pastor Survives Suspected Murder Attempt in Kerala    Published in 2006
April 7 (CDN) — April 7 (Compass Direct) – Pastor Paul Ciniraj Mohammed, a Christian convert from Islam, is still recovering from what he believes was a murder attempt in Kottayam district, in the southern state of Kerala, on March 16. Ciniraj is the head of Salem ....
Rajasthan State to Weigh Anti-Conversion Bill    Published in 2006
April 6 (CDN) — April 6 (Compass Direct) – The Rajasthan state assembly tomorrow will consider a bill approved in principle that would prohibit “forced or fraudulent” conversions, which Christian groups fear Hindu elements will use against people who legitimately ....
Catholics Lose Contract for Leprosy Hospital    Published in 2006
April 5 (CDN) — April 5 (Compass Direct) – The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party government of Gujarat state has declined to renew its contract with the Catholic administrators of a leprosy hospital in Ahmedabad, on the grounds that the nuns were “preaching ....
Supreme Court Denies Tribal Posts to Converts    Published in 2006
April 4 (CDN) — April 4 (Compass Direct) – The Supreme Court last Tuesday (March 28) quietly ruled that conversion of tribal people to Christianity could disqualify them from running for some elective offices if the posts involve religious functions. This ruling ....
Attacks Plotted Against EMI President in Custody    Published in 2006
March 29 (CDN) — John Dayal with Samuel ThomasMarch 29 (Compass Direct) – In remanding the president of the Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) to judicial custody until April 10, a Rajasthan court today ordered the administration to keep the Rev. Dr. Samuel Thomas ....
Christian Workers Attacked in Two States    Published in 2006
March 27 (CDN) — March 27 (Compass) – Hindu extremists broke into a Youth With a Mission (YWAM) training center on March 17 in Madhya Pradesh state, beating students and significantly damaging furniture and equipment. YWAM director Mukesh Jacob and his wife have ....
RSS Plans to Reconvert 10,000 Christians in Orissa    Published in 2006
March 24 (CDN) — March 24 (Compass) – A Hindu extremist group planning centenary celebrations in April hopes to “reconvert” as many as 10,000 tribal Christians to Hinduism during the event. The Dharma Jogna will take place in Orissa on April 8-10, in honor of Madhav ....
BJP Pressured State to Harrass Christians, Panel Finds    Published in 2006
March 21 (CDN) — Delegation at OrphanageMarch 21 (Compass) – A day after a mission organization’s president was given three more days in police custody, a delegation from the All India Christian Council (AICC) today submitted a report to Prime Minister Manmohan ....
Kidnapped Pastor Released Unharmed in Northeast    Published in 2006
March 20 (CDN) — March 20 (Compass) – The Rev. Tongkhojang Lunkim was released at 1 p.m. on Saturday (March 18) after being held captive for two months by the Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) in Manipur state, Northeast India. Lunkim was released “somewhere in the Sadar ....
Catholic Priest Murdered in Goa State    Published in 2006
March 20 (CDN) — March 20 (Compass) – The murder of priest Eusebio Ferrao in Goa state early Saturday morning (March 18) has sent shockwaves through the Catholic communities of India. Fr. Ferrao, 61, was parish priest of St. Francis Xavier Church in Macazana, a ....
EMI President Arrested at Gunpoint    Published in 2006
March 16 (CDN) — March 16 (Compass) – Rajasthan state police officers today arrested the Rev. Dr. Samuel Thomas, president of Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) and son of Archbishop M.A. Thomas, EMI’s founder. The arrest took place in Noida, Uttar Pradesh state. ....
Kidnapped Christian Leader Still Missing    Published in 2006
March 16 (CDN) — March 16 (Compass) – The Rev. Tongkhojang Lunkim is still missing two months after a rebel army in Northeast India kidnapped the administrative secretary of the Kuki Christian Church (KCC) on January 17, and relatives fear for his safety. Besides ....
Tensions Mount over Attacks on EMI Work    Published in 2006
March 15 (CDN) — March 15 (Compass) – A concerted attack on Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) orphanages, schools and other ministries in Rajasthan intensified this week when the state welfare minister, Madan Dilawar, said he should be stoned to death if his ....
Wave of Violence Hits Christians in Rajasthan    Published in 2006
March 9 (CDN) — March 9 (Compass) – Christians in the northwestern state of Rajasthan have pledged to begin public protests on March 18 if the government refuses to take action following a recent wave of violence against the Christian community. Hindu extremists ....
Police Harass Christian Leader’s Family in Rajasthan    Published in 2006
March 8 (CDN) — March 8 (Compass) – Approximately 15 policemen from Rajasthan and Karnataka states forcefully entered the home of prominent Christian leader Sajan K. George on Monday (March 6) in his absence. They searched the house and questioned family members ....
Christian Women Assaulted in West Bengal    Published in 2006
March 8 (CDN) — March 8 (Compass) – Young men in the eastern state of West Bengal assaulted Christian women from two different families on Thursday (March 2) and on February 16. Fearing for their lives, the mother and daughter of one of the families have ....
Pastor Beaten for ‘Forcible Conversion’ in Punjab    Published in 2006
February 21 (CDN) — February 21 (Compass) – Accusing the pastor of an independent church in the northern state of Punjab of “forcible conversion,” an Indian woman from Canada and three unidentified youths on February 8 beat the Christian leader so severely that he ....
The Roots of Hindu Extremism    Published in 2006
February 17 (CDN) — February 17 (Compass) – In recent weeks Hindu extremist organizations such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS or Indian Volunteers Corp) have made headlines for organizing the controversial Shabri Kumbh or Hindu “reawakening” rally in Dangs ....
Event Shows Extent of Fear of Christianity    Published in 2006
February 14 (CDN) — Sadhvi Ritambhara said Hindus must take up arms February 14 (Compass) – Christianity is a major threat to Indian nationalism, organizers of a “reconversion” rally held last weekend in Gujarat indicated yesterday during the closing ceremony. ....
Extremists at Massive Event Call for Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2006
February 13 (CDN) — February 13 (Compass) – Speakers at the Shabri Kumbh, a “reawakening” event organized by Hindu extremists in Dangs district, Gujarat state over the weekend, encouraged tribal Christians to “reconvert” and passed a resolution calling on the Indian ....
Villagers Brutally Beat Christians in Orissa    Published in 2006
February 3 (CDN) — February 3 (Compass) – Extremists encouraged Hindu residents of a village in Malkangiri district, Orissa state, to attack Christian residents on January 24. At least 10 Christians were injured and two were hospitalized. The attack took place at ....
Hindu Mob Stones Crowd at Catholic School Opening    Published in 2006
February 2 (CDN) — February 2 (Compass) – A 50-strong Hindu mob attacked a new Catholic school and boarding hostel as the facility was inaugurated on Sunday (January 29) in Maharashtra state. The mob threw stones into the crowd, broke chairs and beat participants with ....
Extremists, Police Beat Christians in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2006
January 30 (CDN) — January 30 (Compass) – Hindu extremists armed with sticks, rods and other sharp weapons gate-crashed a Christian seminar held in a private home in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on Saturday morning (January 28). Six Christians were rushed to a hospital with ....
Christians Brace for Hindu ‘Reconversion’ Event    Published in 2006
January 27 (CDN) — January 27 (Compass) – Some Christian leaders have suggested evacuating the entire Christian tribal population of Dangs in Gujarat state before the Shabri Kumbh, a Hindu “re-awakening” festival planned for February 11-13. Others have discouraged the ....
Christians Attacked, Houses Burned in Orissa    Published in 2006
January 25 (CDN) — January 25 (Compass) – A pastor and his cousin charged with attempted forced conversion in Matiapada village, Orissa state, were released on bail yesterday, while five Hindu villagers charged with assault and setting fire to the pastor’s house are ....
Romance Leads to Communal Hatred in Assam    Published in 2006
January 23 (CDN) — January 23 (Compass) – At this time last year, Noor Jehan Ahmed, 55, lived peacefully in the village of Nagaon, in the northeastern state of Assam. She and her extended household of 29 people formed their own Christian enclave within the ....
Christians Attacked at Bus Stand and at House    Published in 2006
January 19 (CDN) — January 19 (Compass) – Hindu extremists attacked Christians in two incidents in the same district of Andhra Pradesh state on January 12 and 13, in one case dragging a pastor from a child’s birthday party and kicking him unconscious. In all, seven ....
Hindu Extremists Plan Massive ‘Reawakening’ Event    Published in 2006
January 12 (CDN) — January 12 (Compass) – A number of key Christian leaders recently called on the Indian government to ban or strictly supervise a massive Hindu “reawakening” event to be held in the tribal district of Dangs, Gujarat state, February 11-13. At least ....
Police in Village Ban Church, Allow Hindu Temple    Published in 2006
January 4 (CDN) — January 4 (Compass) – Police decided yesterday to allow a make-shift Hindu temple in Umarkote village but banned Christians from worshiping at a nearby house church following a conflict that led to Hindu extremists attacking four people. The ....
Catholics Attacked on Way to Christmas Mass    Published in 2005
December 30 (CDN) — December 30 (Compass) – Hindu extremists launched two attacks on Catholics in the northern state of Rajasthan during the week before Christmas, in one case beating four people until they were unconscious. On Saturday (December 24), nine members of ....
A Year of Violence Against Catholics    Published in 2005
December 15 (CDN) — December 15 (Compass) – As Catholic believers across India gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, many will carry physical or emotional scars as a result of attacks launched by Hindu extremists over the past year. Many incidents of violence against ....
Hindu Extremists Claim Pastor’s House    Published in 2005
December 14 (CDN) — December 14 (Compass) – Pastor Feroz Masih of the Believers’ Church in India (BCI), who had earlier received death and arson threats, was forced to vacate his house in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India, on December 7. “The ....
Militants Attack Churches, Force Christians into Hindu Temple    Published in 2005
December 5 (CDN) — December 5 (Compass) – Two militant Hindu groups struck churches in Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states on Sunday (December 4). At least 25 members of the Hindu extremist group Dharma Sena attacked a church in Raipur, Chattisgarh state, severely ....
Christian Workers Attacked in Maharashtra State    Published in 2005
December 2 (CDN) — December 2 (Compass) – A group of young people attacked three Christians as they distributed Christian literature in the western state of Maharashtra on Saturday (November 26). Two of the three injured were hospitalized. “It’s a miracle that we are ....
Convert from Islam Remains on Death List    Published in 2005
December 1 (CDN) — Rev. K.K. AlaviDecember 1 (Compass) – The Rev. K.K. Alavi, called “one of the bravest Christians in India,” is the son of a staunch Islamic cleric. Since receiving Christ at age 21, Rev. Alavi has endured at least four attempts on his life. Because ....
Supreme Court Again Defers Ruling on Dalit Rights    Published in 2005
November 30 (CDN) — November 30 (Compass) – India’s Supreme Court on Monday (November 28) for the third time deferred ruling on whether Dalit Christians (low-caste “untouchables”) can be denied job and education rights. Dalits belonging to Hindu, Buddhist and Sikh ....
Extremists Lock Up Church, Attack Christians    Published in 2005
November 29 (CDN) — November 29 (Compass) – Christians in the Kakradara area of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh state are living in fear after extremists barred access to their new church and beat up their pastor and visiting evangelists after a church dedication ceremony on ....
Threat to Burn Christians to Death Defused    Published in 2005
November 21 (CDN) — November 21 (Compass) – Members of the Believers’ Church in India (BCI) in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh met peacefully Sunday, despite death and arson threats issued by Hindu extremists. “About 20 people came for the service. This was ....
Pastor Charged with “Forced Conversion”    Published in 2005
November 18 (CDN) — November 18 (Compass) – Govind Verma, chief of a local chapter of the Bharatiya Janata Party, approached Pastor Masih Das Rai of Chattisgarh state last month saying he had had an encounter with God and wanted to become a Christian. Just six months ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Church in Himachal Pradesh, India    Published in 2005
November 14 (CDN) — November 14 (Compass) – Hindu extremists attacked 62-year-old Pastor Feroz Masih in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh on November 4, accusing him of “forcibly converting” Hindus and severely beating him. The attackers then forced Masih to ....
Hindu Extremists Disrupt Large Prayer Meeting    Published in 2005
November 8 (CDN) — November 8 (Compass) – Hindu extremists disrupted a large prayer gathering in the house of a Christian family in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh state, on Sunday (November 6). Confining 200 people in the house’s prayer hall for hours, the ....
Mob Attacks Dalit Christians in Gujarat State    Published in 2005
November 8 (CDN) — November 8 (Compass) – A mob of about 150 high-caste Hindus attacked Dalit Christians attending an event at Bhoomas village, in the Kheda district of Gujarat state last Thursday (November 3). The assault, carried out to punish Dalit Christians for ....
Hindu Extremist Attacks Curb Christian Festival    Published in 2005
October 27 (CDN) — October 27 (Compass) – For nearly two weeks, Hindu extremists have been attacking Christians in the Banswara district of Rajasthan state, resulting in the cancellation today of the last day of a revival festival. The violence accelerated on Tuesday ....
Pastor, Wife and Driver Attacked in Gujarat    Published in 2005
October 27 (CDN) — October 27 (Compass) – About 30 Hindu extremists attacked a pastor, his wife and their driver in the western state of Gujarat on October 23. The three sustained internal injuries. The Rev. Arthur Jebaraj and his wife, Nyana Sundari Jebaraj, and ....
Why Can’t Christians Adopt in India?    Published in 2005
October 21 (CDN) — October 21 (Compass) – Article 14 of the India Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to equality before the law, but only Hindus can legally adopt in India. Christians and other religious minorities can only become guardians. India’s ....
Pastors Attacked at Large Gathering for Healing in India    Published in 2005
October 20 (CDN) — October 20 (Compass) – Eight local extremists attacked pastors and vandalized equipment at a Pentecostal healing event with 500 people in attendance in Delhi, one of three cities that make up the National Capital Territory, on Friday, October 14. ....
Church Convention Attacked in Chattisgarh    Published in 2005
October 18 (CDN) — October 18 (Compass) – Hindu extremists stormed the annual convention of a church in Raipur on Saturday, October 15, alleging that organizers had kidnapped tribal people for conversion. Returning the next day, they manhandled Christians and shouted ....
Christian Arrested Under Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2005
October 11 (CDN) — October 11 (Compass) – A Christian worker is in jail in Indore, in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh, after authorities arrested him on October 7 for “converting young children from poor Hindu families to Christianity.”Indore police arrested ....
Police Beat Christians in Punjab State    Published in 2005
October 3 (CDN) — October 3 (Compass) – Religious tensions in Punjab state increased last week, as police who had taken several Christians into custody, presumably to protect them against Hindu extremists, instead beat them in jail. From 40 to 50 Christians were ....
Assaulted Christians Pressured in Maharashtra    Published in 2005
September 29 (CDN) — September 29 (Compass) – Radical Hindus of Jamanya village, in Maharashtra state’s Jalgaon district, remain hostile to Christian families who were attacked on May 16 – threatening to beat them if they refuse to renounce their faith, detaining and ....
Christians Face Conversion Charges in Chattisgarh    Published in 2005
September 28 (CDN) — September 28 (Compass) – Nine Christians in Chattisgarh’s Durg district are on trial for disrupting the peace between two communities by “attempting to convert” Hindu villagers with offers of money. On Monday, September 26, the pastor and eight ....
Christians Beaten in Madhya Pradesh in Incident with Idol    Published in 2005
September 27 (CDN) — September 27 (Compass) – Hindu extremists on September 22 attacked and threatened several Christians in the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh state, accusing them of desecrating a Hindu idol. One Christian was admitted to hospital with grave ....
Hindu Mob Again Attacks GEMS Compound in Bihar, India    Published in 2005
September 25 (CDN) — September 26 (Compass) – Hindu extremists returned to the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS) compound in Rohtas district, Bihar state on Sunday, September 25. As in a previous attack on August 31, they severely injured several Christians. This ....
Christians Protest Church Attacks in Chattisgarh, India    Published in 2005
September 20 (CDN) — September 20 (Compass) -- Christians in Chattisgarh, India organized a five-day rally last week to protest increased attacks on churches in the state. About 80 Christian leaders attended the rally, coordinated by Arun Pannalal of the Church of North ....
Anti-Conversion Bill Expected in Rajasthan State    Published in 2005
September 12 (CDN) — September 12 (Compass) — The state government of Rajasthan, ruled by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), plans to present an anti-conversion bill to the state assembly during its next session, beginning on September 26.The state ....
Hindu Extremists Surround Christian Compound in Bihar    Published in 2005
September 8 (CDN) — September 8 (Compass) -- A mob of Hindu extremists surrounded a mission compound in India’s Bihar state on August 31 and kept it under siege for three days. The mob attempted to kill the Rev. Augustine Jebakumar, director of the mission, and ....
Mob Threatens Two Christians in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2005
September 8 (CDN) — September 8 (Compass) -- Police picked up two Christians attending a worship service at the home of Jagdish and Grace Nayak in Indore, Madhya Pradesh state, on September 4 and detained them for four hours. A Hindu mob also threatened Atul David and ....
World Hindu Council Calls for Nationwide Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2005
September 2 (CDN) — September 2 (Compass) -- The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) has called for a comprehensive law to ban religious conversions in India as part of a new campaign to stem the “increasing” number of conversions around the country. ....
Hearing on Dalit Christian Rights Case Delayed    Published in 2005
August 29 (CDN) — August 29 (Compass) -- Christians throughout India have begun a week of prayer and fasting following a government delay in determining equal rights for Dalit Christians. Dalit, or “untouchable,” is the term given to the lowest of India’s caste ....
Mob Attacks Prayer Meeting in Madhya Pradesh    Published in 2005
August 29 (CDN) — Grace NayakAugust 29 (Compass) -- A mob of Hindu extremists violently attacked a prayer meeting in the town of Indore in the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh on August 21. At least 10 people, including women and a 2-year-old child, were ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Prayer Meeting in Rajasthan    Published in 2005
August 15 (CDN) — August 15 (Compass) -- Hindu extremists violently attacked a prayer meeting in Rajasthan state last night, seriously injuring nine Christians, including one woman. The mob struck at midnight on August 14, during an all-night prayer vigil held in a ....
Second State to Strengthen Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2005
August 15 (CDN) — August 15 (Compass) -- Attempts to strengthen the state anti-conversion law in Chattisgarh state, India, have been held up due to “technical problems,” according to a government official. “The Chattisgarh Dharma Swatantraya Adhiniyam (Freedom of ....
Hindu Extremists Launch ‘Reconversion’ Campaign in Northern State    Published in 2005
August 8 (CDN) — August 8 (Compass) -- Hindu extremists have launched a mass campaign to “reconvert” Christians from Dalit backgrounds in the north-central Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The term Dalit is reserved for the so-called “untouchables” of India, who ....
Couple Arrested for Attempted Forced Conversion    Published in 2005
August 4 (CDN) — August 4 (Compass) -- Two Christians in Madhya Pradesh, India, await their first appearance in court after Hindu villagers accused them of attempted forced conversion. Jagdish and Grace Nayak were arrested on July 19 in Jeet Nagar village, Indore ....
Government Proposes Stiffer Law to Regulate Foreign Donations    Published in 2005
August 3 (CDN) — August 3 (Compass) -- The Indian government has proposed a law to more closely regulate foreign donations for “anti-national activities.” Christian leaders in India fear the new law would be misused to reduce foreign donations to churches in India. ....
Hindu Fundamentalists Allege “Forced Conversion”    Published in 2005
July 28 (CDN) — July 28 (Compass) -- The High Court of Orissa state has asked local officials to examine complaints of “forced conversions” and ordered strict enforcement of the state anti-conversion law. The court made the order in late June, in response to a ....
State to Tighten Control on Conversions    Published in 2005
July 26 (CDN) — July 26 (Compass) -- The government of the north-central state of Madhya Pradesh has declared that it will amend its anti-conversion law to check the conversion of tribal people to Christianity. The decision was made after Narendra Prasad, a retired ....
Big Screen Infomercial Discourages Conversions    Published in 2005
July 20 (CDN) — July 20 (Compass) -- Cinemas in the town of Vadodara in Gujarat state have begun showing a short public service clip preceding feature films that questions religious conversions. The infomercial, made by the Mumbai-based Indian Infotainment Media ....
Staines’ Killer Inspires Double Murder    Published in 2005
July 11 (CDN) — July 11 (Compass) -- A 25-year-old man recently confessed to the murder of two Christian pastors in Hyderabad city, Andhra Pradesh, southern India. The accused said he was inspired by Dara Singh, a Hindu activist convicted for the murder of ....
Catholics Attacked    Published in 2005
July 7 (CDN) — July 7 (Compass) -- Hindu extremists launched a series of violent attacks against Catholics in India during the month of June, causing concern in the Catholic community. In response, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) has appealed to ....
Demolition Ordered for Christian Settlement in Orissa    Published in 2005
June 23 (CDN) — June 23 (Compass) -- On June 4, a government official ordered the demolition of 109 houses in a Christian settlement in the town of Jeypore, in Koraput district, Orissa state, as part of a “beautification” campaign. When District Collector Shubha ....
Christians Accuse Hindu Villagers of Sexual Assault    Published in 2005
June 21 (CDN) — June 21 (Compass) -- Eleven Christian families who were physically attacked in Jamanya village, Jalgaon district, Maharashtra state, on May 16 now face social ostracism after they accused Hindu villagers of sexual assault. On May 15, a community ....
Hindu Activists Attack Church in Chattisgarh    Published in 2005
June 9 (CDN) — June 9 (Compass) — Around 200 Hindu activists attacked a church in Moti Chowk village in Durg district, Chattisgarh, India, while Sunday services were being held on June 6.The activists were from the Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu ....
Church Attacked Again in Manipur    Published in 2005
June 6 (CDN) — June 6 (Compass) — The Believer’s Church in Lamding, Thoubal district, Manipur state, suffered another attack on May 29.Members of the church submitted a memorandum to Manipur Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh on May 30 in protest.Copies were also sent ....
Second Pastor Found Dead in Andhra Pradesh    Published in 2005
June 6 (CDN) — June 6 (Compass) — On June 2, police in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh found the body of Pastor Isaac Raju, missing since May 24. According to Sam Paul, national secretary of the All India Christian Council, the body was found wrapped in a ....
Christians Believe India Still Deserves ‘CPC’ Status    Published in 2005
June 2 (CDN) — June 2 (Compass) — The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in a report issued in May asked that India be removed from the list of “Countries of Particular Concern” (or CPCs), citing progress in religious freedom. ....
Christian Mission Accused of Forced Conversions    Published in 2005
May 31 (CDN) — May 31 (Compass) — Police are currently investigating seven staff members of a Christian mission, the Atmik Vikas Trust (AVT), in India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh. A group of disgruntled trainees have accused the staff of “running a gang to ....
Christians Suffer Attacks    Published in 2005
May 27 (CDN) — May 27 (Compass) — Jamubhai Choudhary and his wife, Jathriben, a Christian couple from the Valia Taluka area of the southern state of Gujarat, India, are recovering from injuries received when axe-wielding Hindu villagers assaulted them three weeks ....
Christian Families Attacked in Maharashtra    Published in 2005
May 20 (CDN) — May 20 (Compass) -- Hindu extremists physically attacked 11 Christian families from Jamanya village in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra state, on May 16, when they refused to give up their faith. Sources said the mob tried to disrobe women in the ....
World Hindu Council Opposes Rights for Tribal Christians    Published in 2005
May 18 (CDN) — May 18 (Compass) -- A right-wing Hindu group in Orissa, India, has threatened to launch a campaign for the dismissal of Christian government officers in response to an order granting equal rights to tribal Christians. Levinus Kindo, a Christian ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Bible College Students    Published in 2005
May 16 (CDN) — May 16 (Compass) -- A group of extremists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) attacked and beat eight students from Beersheba Bible College, a school affiliated with the Indian Pentecostal Church of God at Maraman, Chettimukku, on May 12. The ....
Hindu Extremists Attack Church, Burn Bibles    Published in 2005
May 4 (CDN) — Pastor Paulraj RajuMay 4 (Compass) -- A crowd of nearly 500 Hindu villagers attacked the pastor of a house church, his wife and other church members in the southern state of Karnataka on May 1. The attackers sexually molested female church members ....
Church Burned, Christians Attacked in Manipur    Published in 2005
April 25 (CDN) — April 25 (Compass) -- Christian leaders in the northeastern state of Manipur held an emergency meeting on April 22 to consider their response to an attack on a church in Thoubal district on April 19. During the four-hour meeting, delegates formed a ....
Villagers Beat Christians, Burn Down Prayer Hall    Published in 2005
April 15 (CDN) — April 15 (Compass) -- Hindu and Muslim villagers burned down a prayer hall and physically attacked three church members following a baptism ceremony in Kerala, India, on April 1. Two days later, villagers assaulted Pastor Paul Ciniraj Mohammed and ....
Catholic Priest Stabbed    Published in 2005
April 14 (CDN) — April 14 (Compass) -- A priest in the lawless east-Indian state of Bihar was brutally stabbed in the neck and chest on April 11 when he refused to pay extortion money to an ex-prisoner he had been counseling. The incident occurred in the Mokama ....
Christian Businessman Charged With Conversion    Published in 2005
April 14 (CDN) — April 14 (Compass) -- An Indian court has charged a Christian businessman in southern Kerala state with attempted conversion. “Mr. Vidya Sagaran, a businessman from Kayamkulam Taluka, in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, was arrested by local police on ....
Hindu Activists ‘Reconvert’ Christians, Threaten Missionaries    Published in 2005
April 7 (CDN) — April 7 (Compass) -- The Hindu Jagran Manch activist group has claimed that hundreds of Christians were “reconverted” in a ceremony on April 2. “As many as 700 persons were ‘reconverted’ to Hinduism under a ghar vapsi (homecoming) program organized ....
Chhattisgarh State to Strengthen Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2005
March 28 (CDN) — March 28 (Compass) -- The government of Chhattisgarh, India, intends to strengthen the state’s anti-conversion law following claims of a rising number of Christian converts. “The state government has prepared a draft to amend the provisions of the ....
‘National Minorities Commission’ Irritates Christians    Published in 2005
March 21 (CDN) — March 21 (Compass) -- India’s National Minorities Commission (NCM) recently claimed the percentage of Christians in north-east India had risen to “abnormally high” levels. The statement prompted ridicule from Christian leaders who said the NCM was ....
Hindu Extremists Assault Rajasthan Christians    Published in 2005
March 18 (CDN) — March 18 (Compass) -- Hindu extremists have violently assaulted several Christians in Rajasthan, India, over the past two weeks. Local observers say the attacks are a strategy to push forward the enactment of anti-conversion laws in the state. The ....
Evangelist’s Arrest Exposes Police Brutality    Published in 2005
March 15 (CDN) — March 15 (Compass) -- The defense attorney for a Christian evangelist arrested on charges of attempting to convert Hindus in India’s Orissa state appealed his client’s case to the Orissa High Court yesterday. The appeal exposes police negligence in ....
Hindus Attack Church While Police Take ‘Lunch Break’    Published in 2005
March 14 (CDN) — March 14 (Compass) -- Christians from a small Indian village will have their day in court on May 9, following a violent attack on a prayer meeting in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh, on February 23. Four Hindu men who identified themselves as members ....
Evangelist’s Battered Body Found in Karnataka    Published in 2005
February 22 (CDN) — February 22 (Compass) -- The suspected murder of a Christian evangelist in Karnataka, India, highlights a growing trend of violence against Christians in the relatively peaceful southern state. On February 11, the body of 25-year-old Pastor Narayan ....
Hindus Attack Christian Students in Rajasthan    Published in 2005
February 22 (CDN) — February 22 (Compass) -- Activists of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bajrang Dal beat and robbed a group of 280 Christian students on February 19 while the group was on its way to Emmanuel Mission’s graduation ceremony in Kota, India. The ....
Wife of Pastor Returns from Captivity    Published in 2005
February 18 (CDN) — February 18 (Compass) -- New information has emerged regarding last year’s kidnapping of Manulaben Dinana, the wife of a Christian pastor, in Gujarat, India. Dinana, married to Pastor Dharmesh Ninama, was reportedly kidnapped on May 29, 2004, by ....
Lower-caste Christians excluded from quota system for jobs and education.    Published in 2005
February 17 (CDN) — February 17 (Compass) -- India’s Supreme Court has decided to study the legal implications of denying job and education quotas for Dalit Christians. “It is a crucial issue and we would examine the legal side ... on the basis of the rulings cited by ....
Hindu Cleric Bullies Catholic Villagers in Maharashtra    Published in 2005
February 14 (CDN) — February 14 (Compass) -- A Hindu cleric in the Catholic village of Rajura, Maharashtra state, has insisted that tribal Christians turn their church into a Hindu temple or face serious consequences. “This morning I received news that the situation is ....
High Court in Gujarat to Review Murder Sentence against Christians    Published in 2005
February 2 (CDN) — February 2 (Compass) -- The High Court of Gujarat, India, is expected to hear an appeal in early February asking to overturn the murder conviction of five tribal Christians. The five, including a boy of minor age, were sentenced to life imprisonment ....
High Court in Gujarat to Review Murder Sentence against Christians    Published in 2005
February 2 (CDN) — February 2 (Compass) -- The High Court of Gujarat, India, will hear an appeal in early February regarding the murder conviction of five tribal Christians who were sentenced to life imprisonment last year for killing a Hindu fundamentalist. The case ....
Arsonists Attack Christian School in Guwahat    Published in 2005
January 26 (CDN) — January 26 (Compass) -- An irate mob set fire to a newly-opened Catholic school in the northeast state of Assam, India, on January 19, accusing school staff of attempting to convert Hindus. A news report appearing in the Assam Tribune claimed that ....
Arsonists Attack Christian School in Guwahati    Published in 2005
January 26 (CDN) — January 26 (Compass) -- An irate mob set fire to a newly-opened Catholic school in the northeast state of Assam, India, on January 19. The mob accused school staff of attempting to convert Hindus. Local newspaper reports claimed villagers opposed ....
Dalit Christians Demand Equal Rights    Published in 2005
January 10 (CDN) — January 10 (Compass) -- India’s Supreme Court has asked the federal government why Dalits (or “Untouchables”) who convert to Christianity are denied access to a quota system for state employment. Under India’s caste system, about 26 percent of ....
Hindu Leader’s Arrest Leads to Charge of Christian Conspiracy    Published in 2004
December 9 (CDN) — December 9 (Compass) -- The arrest of one of India’s most revered Hindu leaders has led to accusations of a Christian conspiracy. Jayendra Saraswati was arrested in mid November and accused of conspiring to murder a temple priest. Hindu nationalist ....
BJP Pledges Faith with Hindu Nationalism    Published in 2004
November 30 (CDN) — November 30 (Compass) -- The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), desperately seeking its way back to federal power in India, is reverting to its anti-minority political platform of Hindu nationalism. If implemented, Christians and Muslims could face a ....
Church Attacked in Mangalore, India    Published in 2004
November 29 (CDN) — November 29 (Compass) -- A group of about 15 people attacked a church in the coastal town of Mangalore during Sunday worship on November 7. According to press reports, the mob barged into a hall belonging to the Jesus Bread of Life Ministry and ....
What’s Wrong With Conversion?    Published in 2004
November 4 (CDN) — November 4 (Compass) -- While India’s constitution provides for freedom of religion, many Christians who convert from a Hindu background still face discrimination from family, friends, neighbors and employers. Some Hindus believe Christianity is a ....
Five Christians Charged with ‘Wounding Religious Feelings’    Published in 2004
November 2 (CDN) — November 2 (Compass) -- An Indian court recently charged five Christians with the crime of “wounding the religious feelings” of Hindus, after a complaint was lodged in the tribal belt of Orissa. The Christians were released on bail on October 28. ....
Hindu ‘Reconversions’ Continue    Published in 2004
October 22 (CDN) — October 22 (Compass) -- At least 336 tribal Christians were “reconverted” to Hinduism in a mass ceremony organized by the World Hindu Council in Orissa, India, on October 17. Gauri Prasad Rath, state secretary of the Council, said it was the largest ....
Dead Man ‘Reconverted’    Published in 2004
October 12 (CDN) — October 12 (Compass) — Residents of Gurandi village, Orissa, dug up the body of a Catholic man on October 4 and ceremonially “reconverted” him to Hinduism, along with the living members of his family. The incident was triggered when Bala Tulasiga, a ....
Dead Man 'Reconverted'    Published in 2004
October 12 (CDN) — October 12 (Compass) — Villagers in Orissa dug up the body of a Catholic man buried in a Hindu cemetery on October 4 and ceremonially “reconverted” him to Hinduism. The incident took place in Gurandi village in Gajapati district, Orissa. According ....
Catholic Priest’s Murder Tied to Hindu Ritual    Published in 2004
October 7 (CDN) — October 7 (Compass) — Christians in Kerala have alleged that a ritual at a Hindu temple led to the murder of a 71-year-old Syrian Catholic priest. Father Job Chittilapilly was murdered on August 28, the day of Kerala’s annual harvest festival. ....
Missionaries of Charity Attacked in Kerala    Published in 2004
October 4 (CDN) — October 4 (Compass) — Four nuns and three brothers belonging to India’s most famous religious order, Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity, were attacked on September 25 by Hindu extremists in the southern state of Kerala. The incident took place ....
Tribal Christians Return to Hinduism    Published in 2004
September 29 (CDN) — September 29 (Compass) — The World Hindu Council (VHP) has announced the “re-conversion” of 75 tribal Christians in the eastern state of Orissa on September 19. During the ceremony, prominent Hindu leaders distributed yellow headbands sprinkled with ....
Tonsured Christians Return Home to Hostile Village    Published in 2004
August 31 (CDN) — August 31 (Compass) — A group of Christians have returned to their village in Orissa, India, six months after Hindu villagers shaved their heads bare. The Christians and their families lived for six months in sheltered housing provided by a church ....
BJP Returns to Radical ‘Hindutva’ Roots    Published in 2004
August 18 (CDN) — August 9 (Compass) — Following the defeat of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this year’s national elections, Hindu fundamentalists have pressured the BJP to return to their Hindu nationalist roots. Activists from the radical Vishwa ....
Jailed Pastor Released on Bail    Published in 2004
August 18 (CDN) — July 16 (Compass) — A Christian pastor and his associate, jailed for alleged violation of the state’s anti-conversion law, were released on bail July 14 after more than six weeks of incarceration in the state of Orissa, India. Subas Samal and ....
Slapping Incident in Maharashtra Leads to Violence    Published in 2004
August 18 (CDN) — July 13 (Compass) — Violence broke out between Hindu and Catholic villagers on June 16 in the small village of Devbag, Maharashtra, India, when a member of the local Roman Catholic parish council slapped the son of Anant Tari, a member of the ....
BJP Returns to Radical ‘Hindutva’ Roots    Published in 2004
August 9 (CDN) — August 9 (Compass) — Following the defeat of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this year’s national elections, Hindu fundamentalists have pressured the BJP to return to their Hindu nationalist roots. Activists from the radical Vishwa ....
Hindu Mob Assaults Church under Construction    Published in 2004
July 23 (CDN) — July 23 (Compass) — Tension has gripped the tribal village of Rohiyal Talal in the northwest state of Gujarat, India, after a mob of 15 local Hindu farmers desecrated a Christian church under construction in the hamlet. In an early-morning assault ....
Jailed Pastor Released on Bail    Published in 2004
July 16 (CDN) — July 16 (Compass) — A Christian pastor and his associate, jailed for alleged violation of the state’s anti-conversion law, were released on bail July 14 after more than six weeks of incarceration in the state of Orissa, India. Subas Samal and ....
Slapping Incident in Maharashtra Leads to Violence    Published in 2004
July 13 (CDN) — July 13 (Compass) — Violence broke out between Hindu and Catholic villagers on June 16 in the small village of Devbag, Maharashtra, India, when a member of the local Roman Catholic parish council slapped the son of Anant Tari, a member of the ....
Hindu Extremists Kidnap Pastor’s Wife    Published in 2004
July 9 (CDN) — July 9 (Compass) — Hindu extremists who kidnapped the wife of a Christian pastor in India six weeks ago are still holding her captive. Local police have refused to make any attempt to find Manulaben Dinana, 23. They have also refused to question the ....
Hindu Extremists Kidnap Pastor’s Wife    Published in 2004
July 9 (CDN) — Manulaben Dinana and her husbandJuly 9 — Hindu extremists who kidnapped the wife of a Christian pastor in Gujarat, India, still hold her captive six weeks after the crime. Local police have refused to make any attempt to find Manulaben Dinana, aged ....
Pastor Brutally Attacked in Village    Published in 2004
July 2 (CDN) — July 2 (Compass) — An Indian pastor brutally beaten in a night-time attack in West Tripura is still recovering from serious knife wounds. Letthang Gangte, a missionary of the Evangelical Congregational Church of India, received cuts to the head and ....
Hindu ‘Defense Army’ Fights Christian Conversions    Published in 2004
June 3 (CDN) — June 3 (Compass) -- India’s extremist organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has announced plans to establish a number of Raksha Sena or “Defense Army” groups in Chhatisgarh, central India. In a two-day training session held for ....
Pastor Arrested, Charged Under ‘Freedom Of Religion’ Act    Published in 2004
June 3 (CDN) — June 3 (Compass) -- Hindu villagers have accused Pastor Subas Samal and six other Christians from Kilipal village, in the state of Orissa, India, of “conversion by inducement” under the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act. Pastor Samal and his assistant ....
Tamil Nadu Announces Repeal Of Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2004
May 25 (CDN) — May 25 (Compass) -- On May 18, barely a week after India’s Congress party defeated the previous pro-Hindu government in national elections, Chief Minister Selvi J. Jayalalithaa of Tamil Nadu, in southern India, announced the repeal of the state’s ....
Election Results Show Victory for Congress Party    Published in 2004
May 20 (CDN) — May 20 (Compass) -- Christians in India hailed the victory of Sonia Gandhi’s Congress Party in this month’s general election as a triumph for religious freedom. However on May 18, five days after the election results were announced, supporters of ....
Six Villagers Arrested for Tonsuring Christians in Orissa    Published in 2004
May 19 (CDN) — May 19 (Compass) — Six people were arrested on May 3 in connection with a February 10 incident regarding residents of Kilipala village in Orissa state shaving the heads of a local pastor and eight Christian women. Tonsuring, or shaving the crown of ....
Veteran Missionary Ordered to Leave Kashmir    Published in 2004
May 7 (CDN) — May 7 (Compass) — Indian officials have ordered Jim Borst, 67, of the U.K.-based Mill Hill Mission working in Kashmir since 1963, to leave the country on the pretext that his visa has not been renewed. In an April 22 letter, officials of the ....
Christians Apprehensive as General Elections Begin    Published in 2004
April 22 (CDN) — April 22 (Compass) — Christians were apprehensive as voting began on April 20, the first day of India’s general elections. With the nation’s recent history of religious oppression, this year’s election could prove critical for the future of ....
Catholic Priests Accused of Rape and Murder    Published in 2004
March 15 (CDN) — March 15 (Compass) — Hindu fundamentalists of the Bajrang Dal in the state of Madhya Pradesh have accused Catholic priests of the rape and murder of a teenage girl on March 3. Catholic staff at Deosar Girls’ Boarding School reject these claims, ....
Christians Respond to Charges of Evangelistic ‘Conspiracy’    Published in 2004
March 5 (CDN) — March 5 (Compass) — Christian leaders in India have responded with one voice to allegations made by the weekly newspaper Tehelka that Christians are carrying out “the conversion agenda of U.S. President George Bush,” and using the HIV/AIDS problem ....
Police Beat Dalit Pastor in Uttar Pradesh    Published in 2004
February 27 (CDN) — February 27 (Compass) — Pastor Ram Prakash, from the Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, suffered beatings while in police custody in February, according to a report filed by Open Doors. Prakash was visiting Harish Chandra, a Christian relative who ....
Christian Women Beaten, Humiliated for Refusing to Deny Christ    Published in 2004
February 17 (CDN) — February 17 (Compass) — Christian women from Orissa state, India, were attacked and humiliated for refusing to give up their faith. On February 6, Hindu extremists dragged eight women, including two 15-year-old girls, out of their homes while their ....
Newspaper Attributes ‘Evangelism Boom’ to U.S. Government    Published in 2004
February 13 (CDN) — February 13 (Compass) — Tehelka, a weekly newspaper launched on January 30, accused the U.S. government of having a “conversion agenda” for India. The 11-page cover story in the inaugural issue portrayed Christian missionary work as a “sinister and ....
Hindu Fundamentalists Take Aim at Roman Catholic Church    Published in 2004
February 9 (CDN) — February 9 (Compass) — Hindu fundamentalists have launched an attack against the Catholic Church in India in the rural Catholic stronghold of Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh, and the more sophisticated region of Goa. The attacks are directly linked to ....
City in Uproar Over Death of Nine-Year-Old Girl    Published in 2004
January 22 (CDN) — January 22 (Compass) — Citizens of Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh are enraged over the murder of a nine-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a mission school compound on January 13. Hindu protestors allege that Sujata, the daughter of a ....
Anti-Conversion Laws Biased Against Christians    Published in 2004
January 21 (CDN) — January 21 (Compass) — “Anti-conversion” laws implemented in five Indian states are prejudiced against Christians, according to church leaders. One such law, passed in Tamil Nadu in October 2002, came after Seventh-day Adventist missionaries ....
Christian Activist Accused of Converting Hindu Sex Workers    Published in 2004
January 19 (CDN) — January 19 (Compass) — Christian activist Anson Thomas has rescued scores of girls 18 years and younger from prostitution in Mumbai, India. Recently, brothel owners accused Thomas of “unlawfully converting” Hindu sex workers to Christianity. When a ....
Bajrang Dal Announces Plans for Film Honoring Staines Murderer    Published in 2004
January 12 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Leaders of the militant Hindu group Bajrang Dal plan to produce a film honoring Dara Singh, convicted murderer of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons. In November 2003, a week after prominent film-maker Sunil ....
Government Denies Constitutional Rights to Dalit Christians    Published in 2003
December 30 (CDN) — (Compass) -- The Indian government has rejected demands that social benefits be extended to Dalit Christians and Muslims. A clause in the 1950 Constitution of India enshrined the right of Hindu Dalits to “social reservations” for jobs and ....
Christmas Eve ‘Re-Conversion Rally’ Held in Gujarat    Published in 2003
December 29 (CDN) — (Compass) -- India’s Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), known as the ”World Hindu Council,” held a re-conversion rally on Christmas Eve in Dangs district, south Gujarat. The VHP claimed that 500 members of tribal groups re-converted to Hinduism during the ....
Anti-Christian Campaigner Caught In Scandal    Published in 2003
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — One of India’s most vocal campaigners against Christianity was caught in a top-level corruption scandal in late November. Dilip Singh Judev, Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests in the federal government, was trapped on ....
Fundamentalists Pressure Dalit Christians To Re-Convert    Published in 2003
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — India’s Dalits, who have been virtually enslaved as “untouchables” for more than 2,000 years, have begun to come to Christ in large numbers. Upper caste Hindus have historically shown little interest in Dalit affairs; however, they are ....
Hindu Extremists Burn Effigy Of Christ    Published in 2003
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — Tension has gripped the Christian community in the Indian state of Orissa after Hindu militants unleashed a fresh wave of violence in the last week of November. A dozen members of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Bajrang Dal broke into ....
Hindu Fundamentalists Attack Christians in Mumbai    Published in 2003
November 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Christians in Mumbai have suffered a number of recent attacks, most of them attributed to the Hindu fundamentalist groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. On September 17, VHP activists disrupted a prayer meeting organized by ....
Mob Attacks Prayer Meeting in Uttaranchal    Published in 2003
November 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — An angry mob attacked a group of some 80 Christians participating in a prayer meeting in the city of Roorkey, Uttaranchal, on October 26. Assailants tore apart banners, posters and tracts. They burned Bibles and damaged equipment at the ....
Politicians Use Religion to Win Votes    Published in 2003
November 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Upcoming elections for local assemblies in five states in India have spurred a fresh intensity in political campaigns — and a growing division along religious lines as politicians use the issue of religion to polarize voters. Members of ....
Government Prepares National ‘Anti-Conversion Rule’    Published in 2003
October 10 (CDN) — (Compass) — India’s coalition government, led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), is about to introduce fresh rules to prevent religious conversion across the nation. Entitled “Change of Religion of the Members of SC/ST ....
Murder of Christian Preacher Remains Unsolved    Published in 2003
October 10 (CDN) — (Compass) — The murder of Yesu Dasu, a 52-year-old Christian preacher and government employee who was beheaded on September 11, 2000, in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, remains unsolved three years after his death. Investigators have ....
Singh’s Death Sentence Troubles Christians    Published in 2003
October 10 (CDN) — (Compass) — After a mob of about 500 assailants attacked believers in the state of Orissa, Christian leaders said they fear more violence could erupt as a consequence of the September 22 death sentence handed down to Dara Singh for murdering ....
Staines’ Killers Found Guilty    Published in 2003
October 10 (CDN) — (Compass) — More than four years after the tragic murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, Philip, 11, and Timothy, 7, prime suspect Dara Singh and 12 others were convicted of the killings. Delivering the judgment to a packed ....
Death Sentence for Murderer of Missionary    Published in 2003
October 10 (CDN) — (Compass) — Dara Singh was awarded the death penalty by a designated Central Bureau of Investigation court on September 22 for his role in the murder of the Australian missionary Graham Stuart Staines and his two sons. Pronouncing the verdict before ....
Evangelist Accused of Drug Trafficking    Published in 2003
September 12 (CDN) — (Compass) — Christian evangelist Yusi Hey Yobin was arrested August 21 in Shillong, Meghalaya, on charges of drug trafficking. Police raided Yobin’s home that day and claim to have found 380 grams of high-grade heroin. However, local Christians say ....
Hindu Fundamentalists Target Kerala    Published in 2003
September 12 (CDN) — (Compass) — Hindu fundamentalists have increased their activities in Kerala, India’s “cradle of Christianity,” sparking fears that it may be next in a series of Indian states to adopt “anti-conversion” laws. Regarded as a safe haven for religious ....
Lawyers Challenge Anti-Conversion Law Before Supreme Court    Published in 2003
August 15 (CDN) — (Compass) -- The president of the Orissa Christian Legal Association, Mr. Pratap Chinchani, has filed a Special Leave Petition with the Supreme Court of India against Orissa state’s Freedom of Religion Act, a 1967 ruling prohibiting religious ....
Missionaries Arrested, School Officials Accused    Published in 2003
August 15 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Police arrested a missionary and four church leaders after Christian groups in Nagaland were accused of forcing people of other faiths to convert to Christianity. Arrested in July in the neighboring state of Arunachal Pradesh, the five ....
Police Surveys Alarm Christians    Published in 2003
August 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — When the cauldron of inter-religious tension boiled over in February 2002, Muslims in the state of Gujarat found themselves victims of “database genocide.” Surveys conducted on their community prior to the attacks allowed mobs of Hindu ....
Hindu Militants Attack Bible School    Published in 2003
August 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — On July 31, a group of about 250 Hindus attacked a church and Bible school in Dabwali, a small town in the Sirsa district, Haryana, India. Students at the Bible school sustained injuries; among them were five female students. A local ....
Christians Lose Appeal Against Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — The Gujarat High Court has dismissed petitions filed by the All India Christian Council (AICC) challenging provisions of the highly controversial Gujarat anti-conversion bill, on the grounds that the petitions are premature. On June 30, ....
Elections Increase Violence Against Christians    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Politically generated hate propaganda against Christians has charged the atmosphere in India, inspiring at least three attacks on Christians in June. Hindu fundamentalists joined activists from the ruling BJP political party to disrupt a ....
India Not Designated ‘Country of Particular Concern’    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Church leaders have expressed regret over the United States government’s refusal to designate India a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) due to religious violence and discrimination occurring in the world’s largest democracy. “We ....
Pastors, Nuns Suffer Attacks in ‘Evangelical Capital’    Published in 2003
July 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — They are calling it “serial persecution.” Christians in the state of Karnataka have never faced it before. During a one-day public hearing organized by the All India Christian Council on June 12, a “jury” heard 50 cases of persecution. ....
Secretive Survey Alarms Gujurat Christians    Published in 2003
June 16 (CDN) — (Compass) — The government of India’s Gujarat state has again started gathering community-based information in villages of the Patan district, heightening suspicions among local Christians that census information will be misused by fundamentalist ....
Catholic Nun Killed by Grenade in Kashmir    Published in 2003
June 16 (CDN) — (Compass) — Suspected Islamic extremists in the Indian state of Kashmir killed a nun in a grenade attack on a Catholic school. Sister Kamlesh, a missionary teacher from West Bengal, died when a grenade exploded on May 22 near the main entrance of ....
Christian Leaders Challenge Anti-Conversion Legislation    Published in 2003
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) — Christians in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are gearing up to challenge the constitutionality of “anti-conversion” bills recently implemented in their respective states, after the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) demanded that a ....
Christians Face Insecurity in Nation’s Capital    Published in 2003
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) — In Delhi, the capital of India, Christians constitute one percent of the 12.5 million population. For decades, they have been regarded as peace-loving and service oriented. Not anymore. Ever since the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata ....
Hindu Activists Humiliate Nuns, Vandalize Health Center    Published in 2003
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) — Hindu nationalists staged a humiliating attack on April 10 against Catholic nuns operating a secondary school in a Bombay suburb. Political activist Mrs. Sujata Ghag led a group of 15 women into the administrative office of Holy Cross ....
Gujarat Anti-Conversion Bill Stirs Controversy    Published in 2003
April 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — The anti-conversion bill which passed the Gujarat state assembly on March 26 is being challenged by lawmakers and Christians alike, who claim the bill is unconstitutional. The controversial legislation seeks to prevent religious ....
Hindus Attack Church    Published in 2003
April 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — A Protestant church in Maharashtra state was attacked on March 12, and death threats were leveled against local Christians. The 10-year-old Pata Fellowship Church in the village of Patapaypangara has 22 members and has lived in peace ....
Legislation Causing Problems    Published in 2003
April 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Christian sources in India believe that anti-conversion legislation passed in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat states has emboldened militant Hindu groups to target churches and Christian institutions. On March 10, Hindu fundamentalists set fire ....
Survey Angers Christians in Gujarat    Published in 2003
April 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — The Christian community in western India’s Gujarat state has been the target of three government surveys conducted through the Criminal Investigation Department apparently in preparation for the anti-conversion bill passed on March 26 by ....
Fundamentalists Plotted Attack On Missionary    Published in 2003
March 14 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Following its investigation into the January attack on U.S. missionary Joseph Cooper, the Confederation of Human Rights Organization has concluded that a local unit of the fundamentalist Hindu Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) plotted ....
VHP Seeks Constitutional Hindu State    Published in 2003
March 14 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Spurred by a call to amend the constitution and declare India a “Hindu nation,” fundamentalists have stepped up attacks against Christians. “I think we stand for Hindutva (nationalist Hinduism) and not for government,” said World Hindu ....
Attack On American Evangelist Ends In Deportation    Published in 2003
February 11 (CDN) — (Compass) -- When American missionary Joseph Cooper was attacked and then deported from India, it brought attention to visa regulations. At least 50 missionaries could be deported in the near future if government authorities act on a list of names ....
Militant Group Cleared In Staines Trial    Published in 2003
February 11 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Four years after the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, their murder trial took a bizarre turn when a Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) officer testifying for the prosecution declared that none ....
BJP Electoral Victory is a Blow to Christians    Published in 2003
January 13 (CDN) — (Compass) — Fundamentalist Hindus won a landslide victory in a state election in India with anti-Christian and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Defying every poll forecast, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, won 126 ....
Christmas Brings Attacks on Christians    Published in 2003
January 13 (CDN) — (Compass) — Six persons, including a 10-year-old girl, were seriously injured when masked men armed with guns and grenades attacked worshippers at a Christmas Eve Mass in the West Bengal city of Tehatta. The Bengali-speaking gang arrived at the ....
U.S. Corporations Halt ‘Hate Funding’ Contributions    Published in 2003
January 13 (CDN) — (Compass) — Leading information technology companies in the United States suspended donations to an American-based charity following reports that the organization channeled the funds to militant Hindu groups for use in propaganda campaigns targeting ....
Causes and Effects of Anti-Conversion Law    Published in 2002
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Three weeks after becoming law, the Tamil Nadu Anti-Conversion Act was already being misused. Sivan Seyal, a Hindu, accused Pastor Paul Manickam of constructing a new church near his house without permission of the local authorities. ....
Ian Stillman Freed    Published in 2002
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Ian Stillman, a missionary working with the deaf, was freed from an Indian prison on the afternoon of December 7. A member of the Baptist Church in Reading, United Kingdom, Stillman was arrested on August 30, 2000, in the foothills of ....
Prison Superintendent Faces Conversion Charges    Published in 2002
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — The Chief Superintendent of Prisons at Pondicherry Central Jail, G. David, is facing a judicial inquiry after he was accused of forcibly converting inmates to Christianity. The Munanni Hindu fundamentalist group is demanding the ....
Violence Increases Against Christians    Published in 2002
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) — Violence against Christians has risen sharply over the past months in India. In the early hours of November 2, an armed gang suspected of links with Hindu militants attacked the Convent of St. Mary of the Angels in Parthibanoor, Tamil ....
Christian Educators Accused Of Sexual Abuse    Published in 2002
November 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — Accusations of sexual abuse and severe corporal punishment lodged against teachers at missionary schools in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan state, northern India, have surfaced simultaneously with attempts to reconvert Christian families ....
Government Minister Threatens Tribal Christians    Published in 2002
November 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — A recent spate of ethnic cleansing against Muslims in Gujarat state reached genocidal proportions, and a similar assault may soon be unleashed against India’s most threatened Christian community, the Dang tribe, unless the central ....
Massive Protests Against Anti-Conversion Bill    Published in 2002
November 15 (CDN) — (Compass) — More than 6,000 church-operated educational institutions in the state of Tamil Nadu remained closed on October 24 and over a million Christians participated in fasting and prayer in protest against a bill known as the Prohibition of ....
Korean Missionaries Attacked    Published in 2002
October 11 (CDN) — (Compass) — On September 22, eight Korean missionaries, including six women, were mercilessly beaten in the city of Patna, in Bihar state, by militant Bajrang Dal activists. The Hindu militants were keeping track of the evangelistic activities of ....
Western Money Used to Target Christians    Published in 2002
October 11 (CDN) — (Compass) — Money raised by Hindu organizations in Western countries is being used to fund aggression against Christians and other minorities in India. Non-profit organizations associated with Hindu extremist organizations collected nearly one ....
Government Threatens to Abolish Minority Rights    Published in 2002
October 11 (CDN) — (Compass) — The Indian church is being seriously threatened by government attempts to abolish minority rights and enact legislation against conversions. India’s federal government, led by the pro-Hindu BJP party, is opposed to the concept of ....
Christian Evangelism Faces Opposition from Sikhs    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Tension between the Christian and Sikh communities flared after 22 Sikhs converted to Christianity in India’s newly formed Chattisgarh state. A senior Sikh leader urged church leaders to stop evangelistic outreaches and accused ....
Hindu Fundamentalists Accuse Nun of Murder    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- On July 22, Sister Lucela Lakra of the Adoration Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary was viciously attacked by a group of Hindu youth while on her way to church in the northeastern state of Assam. The assailants accused the nun of ....
Media Spreads Conversion Scare Stories    Published in 2002
September 13 (CDN) — (Compass) -- Christians living in Maharashtra state, the ideological source point of Hindu fundamentalism, are being lambasted by a media campaign featuring daily headlines of mass conversions to Christianity. Since the beginning of August, the ....
Nun Jailed on Conversion Charges    Published in 2002
August 9 (CDN) — (Compass) — On July 18, a Catholic nun was sentenced to six months imprisonment for converting Hindus to Christianity. Sister Vrishi Ekka, a 56-year old Ursuline nun, was jailed in Ambikapur in the central Indian state of Chattisgarh on charges of ....
Ruling Party Supports Anti-Christian Activity    Published in 2002
August 9 (CDN) — (Compass) — India’s ruling political party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has gone public with its anti-Christian agenda. On July 29, BJP Vice-President Kailashpati Mishra accused Christian missionaries of provoking large-scale violence in the ....
Gladys Staines Testifies in Murder Trial    Published in 2002
August 9 (CDN) — (Compass) — On June 12, Gladys Staines, widow of Australian missionary Graham Staines, made her first appearance in the district court of Orissa in the trial of those accused of the brutal murder of her husband. Eleven of the accused, including ....
Christians Forcibly ‘Reconverted’ to Hinduism    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — Over 5,000 Christians have been reconverted to Hinduism by the militant World Hindu Council (Vishwa Hindu Parishad, or VHP) during the past two years, the VHP revealed in mid June. The VHP is an organization that is increasingly being ....
Politically Savvy Christians    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — Indian Christians are uniting votes with Muslims in Dhumka to defeat a Hindu extremist candidate in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heartland state of Jharkhand. Christians in Dhumka mobilized during the last week of June and ....
Secret Circular Encourages Killing and Maiming of Christians    Published in 2002
July 18 (CDN) — (Compass) — Raping Christian women during riots, selling Christian girls into the flesh trade, recruiting doctors to dispense poisoned drugs and assassinating anti-caste activists — these are only four of 34 anti-Christian tactics recommended in a ....
Family Refused Asylum    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Janet and Robert Baker, with mixed British and Indian ancestry, fled to the United Kingdom in May 2001. Hindu activists in India who objected to the couple’s fervent Christianity had threatened and attacked the family repeatedly since ....
Murder Trial Heats Up    Published in 2002
June 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - The much-delayed trial in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons resumed on May 3. A prosecution witness identified Dara Singh, the prime suspect, as the instigator of the crime, along with three other ....
Leader Charged with Illegal Inducements in Conversions    Published in 2002
June 12 (CDN) — (Compass) - Hindu fundamentalists registered a case against the Rev. Niranjan Bardhan in Orissa state in late April, accusing him of converting poor children by giving them food, clothes and study materials. But Bardhan told Compass, «They are just ....
Christians Secretly Forced to Re-Convert to Hinduism    Published in 2002
May 13 (CDN) — (Compass) - The World Hindu Organization (VHP) is secretly conducting large-scale conversion drives in India’s Marxist-ruled state of West Bengal. More than 16 tribal Christians were forced to re-convert to Hinduism on April 22 at a purification ....
Extremists Call for Extermination of Muslims and Christians    Published in 2002
May 13 (CDN) — (Compass) - Shocking slogans have surfaced on the walls of Ahmedabad, Gujarat state’s capital city and economic center, calling for the ethnic cleansing of Christians after Muslims have been wiped out. Gujarat, which has gained worldwide infamy as ....
Protestant Church Viciously Attacked    Published in 2002
May 13 (CDN) — (Compass) - An armed group of about 60 Hindu fundamentalists attacked the Protestant charismatic New Life Fellowship Church in Moodabidari in India’s Karnataka state on Sunday, April 14. The Hindu militants accused worshippers of converting local ....
New Attempt To Free Missionary’s Accused Murderer    Published in 2002
April 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - In a bizarre twist to the Staines murder case, an accomplice has told the court that he alone was involved in the killing, and that the prime suspect, Dara Singh, and all others accused were innocent. Mahendra Hembram confessed to his ....
Police Threaten To Burn Christians In Front Of Temple    Published in 2002
April 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Around 40 Christians of the New Life Fellowship (NLF) had gathered for worship on February 8 at the home of a new believer in Nagpur, in India’s Maharashtra state, when a mob of over 500 people surrounded them and started pelting them ....
Hindu Extremists Rule Out Religious Conversion    Published in 2002
April 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Fresh controversy over the thorny issue of religious conversion in India erupted during the sixth national round of talks between the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Christian leaders when RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan ....
Fresh Waves Of Anti-Christian Propaganda    Published in 2002
March 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - On February 22, a senior member of the Legislative Council, G. Madhusudan, accused Christian missionaries of “spying” for the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. Hindu fundamentalists are “leaving no stone unturned, no ....
Missionaries Released    Published in 2002
March 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Two Christian missionaries and a new believer working in the newly created state of Jharkand who were kidnapped on February 11 have been released. Sources said that Gospel For Asia (GFA) workers were abducted by anti-Christian forces ....
Rampaging Mob Levels Church    Published in 2002
March 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - A violent mob of over 80 men brandishing knives, iron rods and bricks went on a rampage that destroyed the Holy Family Church and terrorized worshippers on February 17 in Mysore, Karnataka state. Four persons had to be rushed to the ....
Deaf British Christian Loses Appeal    Published in 2002
February 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - A deaf, 51-year-old Christian charity worker from the United Kingdom, Ian Stillman, lost his appeal of drug smuggling charges in January and faces 10 years in prison in India. “It is the worst miscarriage of justice I have dealt with,” ....
Staines’ Alleged Killer Stands for Election    Published in 2002
February 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Indian Christians are appalled that the alleged murderer of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons is standing for election to the state legislative assembly. Dara Singh, currently in prison in Orissa state, is a candidate ....
Churches Are Vandalized    Published in 2002
February 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Churches and shrines in different parts of India faced a renewed spate of vandalism in January. A popular shrine maintained by the Sisters of Charity on Hennur Road in Bangalore, frequented by Christians as well as people of other ....
Christians Become Politically Active    Published in 2001
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) - As Christians in Bangalore, capital city of the southern state of Karnataka, unite and lobby for seats in local government elections, Christians in the northern state of Punjab formed the first Christian political party in India. The ....
Government Launches War on Terrorism and Missionaries    Published in 2001
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Hindu fundamentalist government is planning to introduce two bills that are being condemned as \"draconian\" by religious minorities in India. The Christian community has taken strong exception to one bill, the Foreign Contribution ....
Hindu and Christian Leaders Hold More Talks    Published in 2001
December 14 (CDN) — (Compass) - Leaders of the militant Hindu umbrella organization, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), met church leaders on November 27 for the fifth round of talks at the national level, ironically a week before the RSS was set to release a ....
Historic Anti-Caste Rally Repudiates Hinduism    Published in 2001
November 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - Between 50,000 and 100,000 outcast Hindus descended on New Delhi on Sunday, November 4, to participate in a historic anti-caste political rally. Thousands of participants repudiated the oppression of the Hindu caste system by converting ....
Violence Continues as Staines’ Assassin Pens Autobiography    Published in 2001
November 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - On October 26, a gang of youths belonging to militant Hindu organizations ransacked a hall where a gospel convention was taking place at Bhatinda in the Punjab region. One of those leading the Hindu protests said that they had sabotaged ....
Christians Find A Political Voice    Published in 2001
November 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - Indian Christians have begun to take advantage of traditional \"Christian strongholds\" as an opportunity for political action. Christians in Bangalore, the \"evangelical capital\" of India, have revolted against the Congress Party and ....
Hindu Fundamentalist Tells Christian Leaders to ‘Reinterpret Scriptures’    Published in 2001
November 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - In what is being regarded as a severe setback to recent talks between Hindu fundamentalists and church leaders in India, RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) chief K.S. Sudarshan has demanded that Christians reinterpret their Scriptures. ....
Christians Continue To Face Persecution    Published in 2001
October 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Incidents of violence against Christian workers in northern India continue to be reported despite talks between the leaders of the mainline churches and Hindu fundamentalist organizations. On September 11, Christian booklets were burned ....
Communal And Criminal Mafia Target Church Properties    Published in 2001
October 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Valuable church properties in the state of Bihar in northern India are under threat of seizure from communal elements backed by forces in the state government. Christian missionaries and church leaders in Patna, the capital of Bihar, ....
Hindu-Christian Dialogue Comes Under Fire    Published in 2001
October 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Various Christian organizations have criticized recent attempts at dialogue between Hindu fundamentalist organizations and Christian churches in India. The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) had met the militant Rashtriya ....
Prime Minister Makes Anti-Christian Statements    Published in 2001
September 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - On August 15, statements made by India’s Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee during a book release gathering startled Christians in India. \"There is a conversion motive behind the welfare activities being carried out by some Christian ....
Christian and Hindu Leaders Hold Talks    Published in 2001
September 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Catholic church leaders met on August 21 with chiefs of the Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) in what is being seen as one of the most significant developments since the persecution of Christians in India began under ....
More ‘Christian-Bashing’    Published in 2001
September 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Three Catholic nuns escorting orphan children on a picnic were severely beaten with sticks and cudgels by over 30 Hindu activists in Dahod town of Gujarat state on August 25. On August 13, another nun and a missionary were beaten by ....
Christian Converts Forced to Return to Hinduism    Published in 2001
August 24 (CDN) — (Compass) - Nineteen villagers who recently embraced Christianity have been forced to re-convert to Hinduism in the Kendrapada district in India’s Orissa state after undergoing sustained social ostracism from their fellow villagers. They are also ....
Government Clarifies Anti-Christian Legislation    Published in 2001
August 24 (CDN) — (Compass) - India’s pro-Hindu government is seriously considering a bill seeking a ban on religious conversion throughout the country. The bill brought protests from opposition parties and Christian organizations all over the country on July 27. The ....
Hindu Extremists Shoot Nun, Beat Priest and Assault Evangelists    Published in 2001
August 24 (CDN) — (Compass) - Three separate incidents of violence took place against Christians in India during the first week of August. Four Hindu fundamentalists shot a Catholic nun at point-blank range in Madhya Pradesh on August 7. She is alive but in critical ....
Villagers Say ‘No’ to Hinduization of Education    Published in 2001
July 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - Villagers in India’s Goa region have begun their battle against a Hindu extremist takeover of primary education. When schools reopened on June 6 after the summer vacation, the villagers organized to form the Committee for the Protection ....
‘Hit List’ of Christian Evangelists on Hindu Extremist Website    Published in 2001
July 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - A militant Hindu hate website displaying the names of international evangelists, secular and Christian scholars from India, and other «enemies of Hinduism» on its «hit-list» was back on-line after it was salvaged by a radical Jewish ....
Bajrang Dal Training its Members in Armed Warfare    Published in 2001
July 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Bajrang Dal, a militant Hindu organization, has begun in late June to train its members in armed warfare to combat the threat of «instability to the nation» posed by Christian missionaries and ISI agents (Pakistan Intelligence). ....
The Dangs - A Story of Perseverance    Published in 2001
July 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - One of the greatest triumphs of indigenous missionary activity in recent years has been the conversion of animist tribals to Christianity in the Dangs district of India’s Gujarat state. Christianity in the Dangs is about a century old. ....
Caste System Worse than Racism    Published in 2001
June 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Indian government is receiving increasing criticism for its attempts to scuttle a discussion on the caste system during the upcoming World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. On May 7, a group of 40 prominent ....
Goa State Facing ‘Saffronization’ of Education    Published in 2001
June 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christian aboriginals in Goa state were suddenly deprived in late May of benefits leading to higher education as the pro-Hindu coalition government removed their names from a list to receive state benefits as underprivileged communities. ....
Hindu Militants Prevent Christian Burial    Published in 2001
June 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Police and civil authorities in India’s Gujarat state remained mute spectators as a violent mob led by Hindu militants blocked the burial of an Indian Christian on May 28 in Kapadwanj. His family had decided to bury him at the local ....
Thousands Protest Missionary Deaths    Published in 2001
June 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Tens of thousands of Christians demonstrated throughout northeast India’s Manipur state and neighboring states to protest the killing of three Catholic missionaries. Suspected separatist militants gunned down the Salesian priests outside ....
Rapists’ Convictions Significant    Published in 2001
May 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - The sentencing of 10 men who gang-raped four nuns is being hailed as significant for the church in India. The men were sentenced on April 28 to life in prison for the attack, which occurred before dawn on September 23, 1998, at the ....
Relief Groups Challenge Hindu Fundamentalists    Published in 2001
May 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christian volunteer groups working in the worst areas of earthquake-hit Gujarat state in western India and who have been targeted by Hindu fundamentalists are taking a stand against the attacks. In an emergency meeting called on April 4, ....
Singled Out for Violating Religious Freedom    Published in 2001
May 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - India is close to being labeled a «country of particular concern» for violating religious freedom and failing to safeguard the rights of religious minorities, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. It called ....
Key Witness Backtracks in Dara Singh Trial    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - The murder trial of Dara Singh in the deaths of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons floundered on its second day. A key prosecution witness did an about-face April 4 claiming that the police forced him to sign the First ....
Three Militants Arrested for Burning a Bible    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Police arrested three members of a group of Hindu militants suspected of burning a Bible during a March 22 Christian prayer meeting in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. A group of 16 people stormed the dais, slapped the ....
Census Discriminates against ‘Untouchable’ Christians    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Indian Christians from Dalit (untouchable) and other backward castes will have their identities permanently erased and state benefits withdrawn if the registrar general of India, and Census Commissioner Mr. Jayant K. Banthia, have their ....
Christian Volunteers Protest Harassment by Hindu Extremists    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Students from Nirmala Niketan, a Bombay-based Catholic institution and India’s prestigious College of Social Work for women, have complained that they were constantly harassed by various outfits of the Sangh Parivar while on a relief ....
Christians Wary of Dialogue with Hindu Extremists    Published in 2001
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christian leaders in India are divided over a controversial move by the National Commission for Minorities (NCM) to arrange a \"dialogue\" with the Sangh Parivar, a group of radical Hindu organizations accused of perpetrating violence ....
Dara Singh Murder Trial Begins    Published in 2001
March 23 (CDN) — (Compass) - The trial of Dara Singh, the main suspect in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, has begun in the Indian state of Orissa. After several delays, the trial began on March 1 with witnesses testifying ....
Mob Attacks Church    Published in 2001
March 23 (CDN) — (Compass) - A fundamentalist Hindu mob attacked a church in the eastern Indian state of Tripura on February 25 as Christians were attending the Sunday service. The mob forced the pastor to stop the service. Fundamentalist Hindus are adamant that ....
Dalai Lama Disappoints India’s Christians    Published in 2001
February 16 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Dalai Lama disappointed India’s Christians by standing alongside Hindu extremists and rebuking Christians and Muslims for trying to convert others to their religions. \"I always believe it’s safer and better and reasonable to keep ....
Christian Workers Beaten for Showing ‘Jesus’ Film    Published in 2001
January 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Members of the radical Hindu group the Bajrang Dal beat two Christian workers, David Massey and Simon Sakria, for more than two hours on January 4 for showing a Jesus film in Jehra, a remote village on the Rajasthan-Gujarat border in ....
Church Leader Warns of More Violence    Published in 2001
January 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - A prominent Indian church leader is warning of a possible bloodbath against Christians by Hindu fundamentalists. Joseph D’Souza, president of the All India Christian Council, said that although everything seems quiet on the surface, the ....
Christians Protest Extremists’ Terror Tactics    Published in 2000
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Violence has once again broken out against Christians in India after K.S. Sudershan, leader of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), called for the Indianization of the national Christian church and Islam. One of the RSS ....
Church Desecrated by Hindu Extremists    Published in 2000
December 15 (CDN) — (Compass) - Nearly 200 members of two extremist Hindu organizations stormed the Evangelical Church of India in Gujarat state on November 26. The Christian community expressed shock at the desecration of the church and the attempt to take possession ....
Attacks Increase in Lawless Orissa State    Published in 2000
November 17 (CDN) — (Compass) - Following new attacks on Christians by members of Hindu fundamentalist groups, church leaders in India are expressing concern that the Orissa state government is anti-minority. The general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of ....
Evangelicals Tone Down ‘Spiritual Battle’ Language    Published in 2000
November 17 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Evangelical Fellowship of India has issued a statement urging Christian leaders to tone down \"spiritual battle\" language. They hope to prevent Hindu fundamentalist groups from taking advantage of inflammatory words to paint ....
Boy Sentenced in Staines Murder    Published in 2000
October 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - On October 2, a special court in Orissa convicted a 13-year-old boy in connection with the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999. A special Central Bureau of Investigation judge sentenced ....
Hindu Groups Exploit Nun’s Misdeed    Published in 2000
October 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - Hindu groups in the Indian state of West Bengal are trying to exploit an incident involving a Catholic nun associated with the Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa. The controversy began after Sister Francesca admitted on ....
RSS to Discuss Role of Foreign Missionaries    Published in 2000
October 20 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Hindu fundamentalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) plans to hold a three-day meeting in the Indian city of Agra to discuss the role of foreign Christian missionaries in the country. Nearly 75,000 members of the RSS are expected ....
Church Desecrated    Published in 2000
September 22 (CDN) — (Compass) - A Catholic church in northern Karnataka province was desecrated on September 7. Police said vandals broke into the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bidar, broke glass panes encasing a statue of Mary and sprinkled vermilion on the statue. ....
Minorities Commission Accuses Government of Bias    Published in 2000
September 22 (CDN) — (Compass) - In a September 1 report, the National Commission for Minorities said that during its interaction with members of minority communities in Gujarat, Christians had complained of attacks on their right to freedom of religion. The Commission ....
More Anti-Christian Accusations    Published in 2000
August 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - The working president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Ashok Singhal, told a gathering of Hindu priests in New Delhi on July 30 that the motive of Christians is not the welfare of people. He said Christians were working under a ....
Christian Leaders Refuse to Meet Hindu Extremists    Published in 2000
July 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christian leaders in India have refused to attend a meeting organized by the National Minority Commission in New Delhi with Hindu political groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Church leaders said that the church is ready for ....
Christians Face New Century with Confidence    Published in 2000
June 23 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christians in India continue to be harassed and persecuted. According to church leaders, the Sangh Parivar (family of Hindu fundamentalist groups) sponsors much of it in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. These states have become the laboratory ....
Attacks Against Christians Continue    Published in 2000
May 19 (CDN) — (Compass) - Hindu fundamentalists have stepped up their attacks against Christians in the Indian states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. In the latest incident, masked men attacked nuns on May 2 in the town of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh and ....
Fascist Tendency Growing    Published in 2000
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - A civic group in India is expressing concern over the growing \"fascist tendency\" in Indian political and civil society. A statement issued in New Delhi on April 2 by the Insaani Ekta Muhim said the increased attacks by Hindu ....
No Bail for Staines’ Accused Murderer    Published in 2000
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - A court in India has refused bail to Dara Singh, accused in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999. Singh was remanded to the Central Bureau of Investigation. Singh is said to have a ....
School Ransacked and Priest Attacked    Published in 2000
April 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Ten attackers armed with sticks, knives and iron rods broke into the Christ Vihar Hindi-Medium Primary School in India’s Uttar Pradesh state on March 31. They beat, threatened and robbed Father Skylark George, a 27-year-old priest who ....
Government Riled by Criticism of Religious Intolerance    Published in 2000
March 17 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Indian government on February 27 rejected a United States report on religious freedom that criticized the ruling Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) for societal violence against Christians and Muslims. A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry ....
Gujarat State Withdraws Anti-Conversion Bill    Published in 2000
March 17 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Gujarat state government withdrew the controversial 1999 Gujarat Freedom of Religion Bill on February 23 after Christians and other groups protested against it. The government was also under pressure to scrap the bill after ....
Christian Nephew of Indian Parliament Member Attacked    Published in 2000
February 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - Police in Madhya Pradesh watched as fundamentalist Hindus attacked the Christian nephew of Arun Shourie, a prominent journalist and member of India’s upper house of Parliament. Chandrakant Shourie, his wife, their son and some friends ....
Gujarat State Considers Conversion Restrictions    Published in 2000
February 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - The Gujarat state assembly plans to debate a controversial conversion bill aimed at Christians in its current February-March session. The Gujarat Freedom of Religion Act, introduced by a Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) Assembly member in ....
Staines’ Killer Arrested    Published in 2000
February 18 (CDN) — (Compass) - Christians in India welcomed the arrest of Dara Singh, the mastermind behind the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January 1999. Singh was captured on January 31 after eluding authorities for more than a ....
Hindu Extremists Keep Up Pressure on Christians    Published in 2000
January 21 (CDN) — (Compass) - Hindu fundamentalist demonstrators threatened members of a Campus Crusade center on Christmas Day in Palam Vihar village. The demonstrations continued until December 27 and stopped only after police intervention. The Hindu groups have ....
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