Forcing them to pose like Christ on the cross, police beat Christians in custody on baseless charges on 15 March.
Brandishing hockey sticks and steel rods, 30 Hindu extremists arrived with police at the 200-strong church.
‘I got down from the pulpit and decided to face them before they caused a nuisance or attacked any of the members of the congregation,’ said the pastor. The church was accused of increasing conversions to Christianity in the area.
The pastor said: ‘If anybody chooses to follow Jesus after attending prayers, they are free to do so as the Indian Constitution has granted the right to practice one’s faith freely.’
Police forced five worshippers into police vehicles and took them to the police station.
They were released on bail after being forced to sign an affidavit stating that they would never again be involved in Christian conversion activities in the area.
On 5 March a Christian couple were assaulted and humiliated for giving out Christian gospel tracts.
As Babu Phinegas and his wife Esther were distributing fliers in the village, they were accused of being ‘agents’ who were trying to destroy the Hindu religion. Sources report that the men forcefully applied vibhooti (sacred ash) and kungumam (red powder), which are used as religious markings on the forehead, a Hindu religious practice.
Earlier in March, tribal animists drove a Christian family into the jungle, with one intercepting their nine-year-old girl and threatening to kill her if she went to school again.
Pastor Kirade said: ‘I cried before the Lord for hours, asking Him what the fault of my children was and why are they being treated this way.’
