Sound Doctrine Church

International Christian Concern has learned that 13 Christians remain imprisoned after Indian police arrested them on April 5 in Verajpet, Karnataka. They were arrested after Hindu extremists falsely accused them of forcefully converting Hindus to Christianity. Vijay, Lakhama, Philomina Raji, John K.O., Peter, Satish, Macho, Baby, Wilson Mathew, Abraham, Mathew K.J., Freddy, and Johny K.A. were all arrested while holding a prayer meeting at a Christian house. The imprisonment is taking a toll on the Christians and their families as most of the prisoners are heads of families. John K.O. is also suffering from heart disease. The Christians have sought release on bail, but their requests have been refused by authorities four times. The state of Karnataka is ruled by the BJP, a Hindu nationalist party that is infamous for persecuting Christians. Last year, the highest number of attacks against Indian Christians tool place in Karnataka.

Pastor Paasu Ninama a 35-year-old resident of Pipal Kutta village said he was on his way back from his regular Sunday service in Malphalia at 4 p.m. when six men sitting outside a house invited him in for a glass of water. When he saw a picture of Jesus Christ in the house, he knew they had set a trap for him. “I immediately turned to escape when they all jumped on me and started to beat me, accusing me of luring people to convert,” he said. They beat him unconscious and chewed off part of his ear, after fainting from the pain the attackers started pelting the unconscious pastor with stones until villagers intervened. No stranger to persecution Paasu has been attacked and threatened many times for his work as a pastor. Pastor Ninama said he works as a day laborer in farm fields to sustain his wife and six children, and that he would continue to do the work of the Lord.

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