ICC Note:
A Christians pastor and his son were brutally attacked and beaten by Hindu radicals in India wielding metal rods and a knife. Both survived the attack, but with severe injuries. Attacks on Christians and their places of worship in India have dramatically increased. Assaults, murders, false accusations of forced conversions, and widespread social boycotts are just a few of the issues Christians in India have been forced to endure. Many claim the rise in violence and intolerance followed the election of the BJP-led government in 2014 who have been either unable or unwilling to confront the activities of radical Hindu nationalists groups operating across India.
08/08/2017 India (The Christian Post) – Two Christian pastors in India, who are father and son, were attacked and beaten by hardline Hindu extremists wielding metal rods and a knife in what is believed to have been an “attempt at murder,” a leading Christian persecution nonprofit has reported.
Pastor Daniel Jebraj, 28, from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu told Morning Star News, a donor-funded media outlet dedicated to sharing the stories of persecuted Christians, that he was on his way home on July 18 when he noticed a group of five men sitting outside of the gate of his church.
The men were allegedly smoking, drinking and making fun of Christianity. Jebraj said that he asked the men to leave and take their activities elsewhere. However, Jebraj said that he was not aware that “they were waiting for me.”
“They pulled out the weapons and attacked me,” Jebraj said, adding that he was struck with wooden sticks, steel rods and a butcher knife.
While Jebraj was getting assaulted, his father rushed to his aid. Jebraj’s father, 61-year-old Pastor Muniyandi Elangoan Jebraj, was also beaten.
According to Morning Star News, the attackers were identified as being members of a local branch of the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh called Hindu Makkal Katch.
“They were spewing very dangerous words — I can’t say such words, they are highly derogatory and foul,” Daniel Jebraj explained. “My father came out running, and he too was beaten.”
According to Dr. Ron Rajendran, both father and son suffered injuries from the attack. The doctor told Morning Star News that the elder pastor suffered a brain injury and has been referred to Nagapattinam Medical College to consult a neurologist. Meanwhile, his son needed stitches.
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