Mumbai Attack against Christian Good Samaritan By Radicals
Christian worker attacked in own home in Navi Mumbai
Global Council of Indian Christians
3/22/07 India (Persecution Update India ) On 12th March, Kundan Yadav, a college student from Navi Mumbai, was upset because he was not allowed to write his exams as he did not fulfill eligibility norms. Distraught and feeling suicidal, he went to speak to his principal who spoke encouragingly to him and cheered him up. Yadav asked for a Marathi-speaking person to counsel him. His college principal referred him to Pawar, a Christian believer. Pawar counseled him. The young man left happy, and even went later to the principal, thanked him and expressed his appreciation for Pawar’s help. He also asked for and received a Bible from a well-wisher and began to read it.
On 20th March, Yadav went to Pawar’s home at 8 pm at night, when the family was having dinner. They offered him dinner but he refused and ate some fruit. While they were talking, suddenly a group of 15 persons suddenly barged into the room, blackened Pawar’s face with black ink and started beating him up. Two persons in the group were carrying still and video cameras and began filming the incident. Hearing the commotion, Pawar’s wife and three daughters rushed to his aid and succeeded in sending the men out of the place and locking the door. But the men burst through the door again, in the process causing severe injuries to Mrs. Pawar’s foot, which lost two toenails. The men left after more violence.
At about 9:30 pm, two men arrived and compelled Pawar to accompany them to the police station. By this time, a Marathi channel had telecast the recording of the attack. The men took him to the Vashi police station and tried to file a complaint against Pawar on charges of forcible conversion. It was revealed at this time that the men belonged to a group, the MNS Maharasthra Navanirman Samithi. The ACP in charge of the station arrived and heard both sides out. Correctly concluding that the group had trespassed and assaulted Pawar in his house, he promptly had seven of them arrested.
Pray for continued safety and for the issue to be resolved permanently.
