Similarly, 43-year-old Pastor Surajveer Peter was ordered by the local Station House Officer (SHO) to close down his house church that he has been pastoring for nearly 15 years in Khannupur village, located in the Muzafernagar District of Uttar Pradesh. Peter told ICC that the police locked the doors of the church in which they were worshiping. Shortly after, he was taken to the police station and told that he had to stop worshiping or else he would be put in jail.
“I was so afraid,” Pastor Peter told ICC. “When the police came to the place where the worship was going and chased the Christians worshipers, I thought to myself, I didn’t do any harm to anybody, but I was treated as a criminal by both Hindu radicals and also the police.”
“Recent developments in India must disturb not just Indian citizens, but the peace-loving people of the world at large,” Dr. John Dayal, spokesperson for the United Christian Forum, said regarding the recent rise in attacks. “The killing of Muslims in the garb of protecting cows, the threat to throw out Christians, closing their educational institutions and ending all conversions by changing the constitution of India are real threats.”
“Without the economic progress it promised, the Modi government is engineering a confrontation between the religious minorities and charged sections of the Hindu majority,” Dr. Dayal continued. “The targeted hate, the manner of denying sections of Muslims the protection of the law as citizens, stripping Dalits of the affirmative action and protection from discrimination, and the punitive persecution of small Christian communities and new followers of Christ are clear signals. The RSS is leading the national discourse.”
For pastors, like Peter and Massih, the circumstances are life-threatening. Yet, Christians are still willing to pay the price as they await with hope that the attacks against them will soon be brought to justice.
For interviews with William Stark, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org