In a similar but separate incident, Pastor Prasad and his congregation were also brutally attacked by Hindu radicals as they worshiped at an unregistered house church in Bogaram village, located approximately 20 miles east of Hyderabad. Fifteen Christians gathered at Pastor Prasad’s house on June 23 when the attack took place.
“This is not the first time I was attacked,” Pastor Prasad told ICC. “I have been attacked five times in the last two years. However, the latest attack had more serious consequences.”
According to Pastor Prasad, five Hindu radicals stormed his house while the Sunday worship service was in progress. The radicals started to beat everyone, including him. The radicals did not exclude women and children from the beating and severely injured several people.
Similar to Pastor Thomas’s situation, Pastor Prasad’s landlord demanded that he leave their property within two months due to pressure from Hindu radicals.
“We don’t know whether this house church community will continue in the village,” Prasad said. “The Hindu radicals are determined not to allow any church or Christian worship in the village. However, I am determined to stay on because God called me to this place to proclaim his love to his people.”
Across India, unregistered house churches account for a considerable portion of the Indian Church, especially in rural areas. As the accounts of Pastor Thomas and Pastor Prasad exemplify, these churches are under serious attack. Will India’s government protect these Christians’ Article 25 religious freedom rights and protect their places of worship from attack and sudden closure? Or will the government continue to give a free hand to Hindu radicals seeking to drive Christianity out of India?
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