10/29/2018 India (International Christian Concern) – October has been a difficult month for Christians living in India’s Tamil Nadu state. According to Morning Star News, the Christian community of Tamil Nadu endured a series of attacks led by police officials. These attacks included false arrests, the disruption of church services, and even brutal assaults.
On October 6, six police officers entered into a Christian home in Aralvaimozhi, Kanyakumari District, where a worship service was being led by Pastor P. Yesudas. The police officers then began to beat the Christians and use filthy language against them.
Following the attack, Christians reported the incident to the superintendent of police and the district controller. According to local sources, no further action has been taken against the six police officers.
On October 7, police disrupted a worship service taking place at the of Believers Prayer Fellowship in Chennai. Police demanded they end the worship service because a neighbor had complained about the noise. Two days later, Pastor John Immanuel, head of the fellowship, was summoned to the police station.
The above examples are just two of the anti-Christian incidents recorded in the month of October in Tamil Nadu. Across India, the number of persecution incidents are growing in both number and intensity. Since the BJP-led government took power in 2014, persecution of religious minorities has skyrocketed. In 2014, the Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) recorded 147 incidents of persecution. In 2017, after three years of BJP rule, EFI recorded 351 incidents of persecution.
For interviews with William Stark, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
