ICC Note:
Christians in Telangana, India have expressed their disappointment after local police have misreported an attack on a local pastor. Last month, Pastor Padma Rao was attacked by a gang of Hindu radicals known to him. As a result, the pastor was severely beaten. After reporting the incident to the police, Christians were dismayed to discover the officers had added that the assailants were just “drunken youths” and did not mention their connection to Hindu radical groups. Instances of misreporting like this are what perpetuates the atmosphere of impunity enjoyed by Hindu radicals in India. 
02/08/2017 India (Christian Today) – Acting with impunity, a gang of Hindu extremists kicked and punched an Indian pastor who they waylaid on the road late last month, nearly killing him.
The Rev. Gandham Padma Rao, 49, promptly reported the incident to the police, saying 10 young men who he knew were members of the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Vahini group assaulted him on Jan. 27 in Medipally village, Telangana state, India, the Morning Star News reported.
The pastor’s son, Samuel Mark, said one of the Hindu extremists picked up a large stone and was about to throw it at his father but was prevented from doing so when residents in the area cried and came out of their homes to rescue the pastor.
Although Pastor Rao and those who witnessed the attack testified that the assailants were members of a Hindu nationalist group, they were dismayed when they found out later that the police altered the pastor’s statement and described his attackers as “drunken youths,” according to Morning Star News.
Two days after the assault, the badly injured Pastor Rao still fulfilled his church duties before seeking medical help.
The attack on Pastor Rao came just a week after another pastor, 47-year-old K.A. Swamy of Hyderabad, fell into a coma after suffering high blood pressure and brain hemorrhage hours after Hindu extremists confronted him and dragged him to the police station where he was accused of illegally distributing Bibles.
The persecution of Christians in India appears to be on the rise with Open Doors USA now placing India at number 15, up from no. 17 previously, in its 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians are most persecuted.
…
[Full Story]