By ICC’s India Correspondent
02/15/2017 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – On January 21, 2017, Hindu radicals harassed 47-year-old Dr. K.A. Swamy for distributing New Testaments in Hyderabad, Telangana state in India. After hours of harassment, the radicals turned Dr. Swamy over to authorities who then subjected Dr. Swamy to further assaults. Shortly after leaving the police station, Dr. Swamy suffered a massive stroke that led to a brain hemorrhage. He is currently in the intensive care unit, unconscious and paralyzed on one side of his body.
In response, Christians gathered to protest Dr. Swamy’s treatment. “My blood was boiling, when I saw the video clipping of evangelist Dr. K.A Swamy being harassed and tortured in daylight for distributing New Testaments,” mourned Bishop Wilson Singham at a sit-in protest on February 4. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) in Hyderabad, which was just one of several demonstrations in response to Dr. Swamy’s condition.
While Dr. Swamy is receiving the most attention, his attack is among a series of altercations in Telangana between Christians and Hindu radicals. International Christian Concern (ICC) has documented eight incidents of violence against minority Christians in just the first weeks of 2017.
Reverend Padma Rao, a 50-year-old pastor is one of the victims of such attacks. Reverend Rao told ICC, “I have been attacked a number of times in the past, but the attack on January 27 was something that took me too close to the death I felt.” His most recent attack on January 27 took place while he was on his way to pray for a sick person.
According to family members, Rev. Rao narrowly escaped. Members of the RSS, a radical Hindu group, repeatedly punched and kicked him in the stomach and chest. They stomped him into the ground after he fell. Rao was hospitalized with bruises all over his body and with severe internal injuries.
Christians are growing weary waiting for the government to protect their right to religious freedom. “Jesus taught us to be [a] peace loving community,” said Mr. Austin, a youth leader and a popular Christian singer in the city of Hyderabad. “Jesus told us to show the right cheek if someone hits on your left cheek, but Jesus also gave us an example of taking up a whip to drive out people from the temple who messed with the temple. We cannot be silent anymore, but…give a fitting response to those that are attacking innocent pastors.”
Thousands of Christians are calling on the government to remind them that Article 25 of India’s constitution guarantees religious freedom for every citizen in India. Massive rallies and protests have united different denominations across the state. Mr. Surendra Babu, president of a local human rights activist organization, told ICC after a rally on February 8 that  “over 1,000 Christians from all denominations and churches have participated in the peaceful protest…and this is the first ever in the history of Nellore, where all the Christians [came] together…in spite of denominational differences.”
Both government officials and radical Hindu groups are trying to silence the protesters. Government officials refused to allow one protest to start and arrested four Christian leaders who tried to demonstrate before the Hyderabad press club several weeks ago.
Hindu organizations launched counter-protests against Christians for allegedly carrying out religious propagation, particularly in Telangana. Video clips of hate speeches from the counter-protests are now circulating social media, which will continue to encourage further violence against Christians.
Mr. C. A. Daniel, a Christian activist, said, “We are living in [a] secular country and unfortunately we have to protest and fight for our basic fundamental rights: [the] right to religion, enshrined in the constitution. Even more disappointing is that we are being denied [the right] of holding peaceful protests that we planned.”
The trend of increased attacks on Christians is worrisome for the 2.3 percent of Indians who are Christians. Will the government see and respond to these attacks?