By BosNewsLife Asia Service
NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)– The Christian mother of a Pentecostal pastor in northwest India was recovering of her injuries Saturday, August 24, after she was nearly cut into pieces for refusing to convert to Hinduism, activists said.
Sajan George, president of the aid and advocy group Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), expressed deep sorrow” that Hindu militants attacked the woman, who was “seriously injured” to the head and arms.
“If you do not convert to Hinduism we will kill you and cut you in pieces,” the group of “ultra-nationalist Hindus” told the woman while attacking her at her son’s home in the city of Jaipur in Rajasthan state, he added.
The men were reportedly looking for Vishaal Behl, a Pentecostal clergyman, and his wife.
The woman, who was not identified, was alone in the house, which doubles as a prayer room for the Fire of God Ministries, her son’s Pentecostal conregation
MEN IN HELMETS
Christians said four men had arrived at the door with their faces disguised by helmets. When they discovered that Pastor Behl and his wife weren’t at home, they broke in and allegedly broke the furniture.
They then apparently threatened the elderly woman to tell them where her son and daughter-in-law were. When the woman told them she did not know, she was reportedly beaten and nearly killed for not converting to Hinduism, according to resdents and investigators.
When neighbours realized there was violence, the Hindu militants reportedly fled.
George said the August 13 attack was symptomatic of “the increasing intolerance and hostility towards Christians, the silence of the authorities and the absence of convictions” for the guilty.
UPCOMING ELECTIONS
“With an eye to the general election of 2014,” the Christian leader said, “Hindutva extremist forces think that fomenting tensions between different communities and inciting society against the Christian minority can help them get votes,”he explained.
Hindutva is the word used for movements advocating Hindu nationalism.
He said the tensions are even increasing in Rajasthan, a state led by Congress, the country’s largest secular ruling party.
Christians comprise just over 2 percent of India’s over 1.2 billion people, who are mainly Hindus.
(BosNewsLife, the first truly independent news agency covering persecuted Christians, is ‘Breaking the News for Compassionate Professionals’ since 2004).
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