Christian Persecution in India Continues as Missionary Murdered

A Christian missionary in Andhra Pradesh, a southern state of India, has reportedly been "tortured and killed" by Hindu extremists, according to BosNewsLife on 25th May 2005.

Christian Aid Mission, a ministry supporting native missionaries in the area, reported that the killed missionary as simply "Brother D" due to security reasons.

The ministry officials announced that Brother D. left home on 19th May morning and never returned. "His wife gave police a missing persons report the same day. On the morning of the next day - 20th May, local newspapers brought news of an unrecognised dead body," said one of the ministry workers.

"The next day his wife identified the body as her husband by his clothes," and he was tortured with acid poured over his face and body, investigators said.

CAM official said locals suspect Hindu extremist of the attack, however, the police investigation of the case is continuing.

This case is not just a sporadic event, as many violations against religious minorities are reported from across India. India's population consists of 80% of Hindu, 12% Muslim and 2.4% Christian religious communities, according to Persecution.org. Both minorities, Christians and Muslims have reportedly suffered violence from religious extremists.

Another violation by Hindu extremists was reported in the Jalgaon district, and Maharashtra state on 15th May 2005, where 11 Christian families were attacked. Residents of the village where the violations took place said to Compass, that the situation is getting worse than three years ago, when a movement against the Christian community started to become more apparant.

In 2003, Christian families had to pay a fine for adopting Christianity, however, a period of relative peace followed until the attack on 15th May.

Political parties known for their negative attitude towards the Christian community, The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) and the Bajrang Dal have strong positions in the district. Leaders of the village have been rumoured to be connected with the Bharatiya Janata Party, a nationalist party dedicated to the propagation of orthodox Hindu religious practices.