India - 18 Christians Arrested on Charges of Forced Conversion / Local Politicians Spread False Information

According to International Christian Concern (ICC), on the 7th, 11 female Christian evangelists from Hyderabad, India, and 7 local male and female Christians were arrested and charged in Bhagwanpur, Bihar, for allegedly forcibly converting students.

The 11 women came from the southern states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh and were engaging in personal evangelism in the village. In one of the villages, the evangelists entered a school with the principal's permission and distributed the Gospels and New Testaments to the children. As they were leaving the school, Hindu extremists blocked the women and began questioning their intentions. As tensions rose, the Hindus reported them to the police.

When the police arrived on the scene, they arrested the 18 Christians. They were taken to the police station, where statements were recorded, and no charges were found. The police attempted to release them. However, a local politician threatened the officers, stating that if the 11 women from Hyderabad were released, there would be large-scale protests and the village would be shut down.

The politician also contacted the media, spreading false information that the 11 women had entered the school without permission to secretly convert the children. The media published these claims on social media and newspapers without interviewing the women. Pastor Binoy, who assisted the 11 women, told ICC officials that the principal had allowed the evangelists to distribute Christian literature. However, the politician threatened the principal, forcing him to file a false complaint accusing the women of illegally converting the school children.

Romans 8:35, 37

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Pray for

1. Tribulations and persecutions for sharing the gospel cannot separate believers from the love of Christ. Grant the 11 evangelists strength to entrust every situation to the Lord and overcome with faith. May they continue to pray with hope that the gospel they have shared will bear life, and grant them the joy of seeing its fruits. Touch the hearts of all the students who heard the gospel from the evangelists, leading them to repentance and salvation. Work miracles, Lord.

   
   

2. Expose the wickedness of the local politician who fabricates lies under the guise of the law to the village residents, bringing shame upon him. Look upon the evil acts of the Hindu extremists and silence their voices. In India, do not remain silent in the face of those who persecute the Lord's churches with violence and illegality. Reveal Your presence, Lord. Uncover the truth about the evangelists who have been ensnared by falsehood, and let the politician's sins fall back on him.

   
   

3. Empower the church in India to not shrink back in the face of tribulations but to boldly proclaim the gospel and continue to advance. Through the faith of the Indian church, may the Hindus and Hindu extremists see Jesus Christ, repent, and turn to be the people of the Lord. Enable the Indian church, which transcends death, to advance with the gospel to the ends of the earth.