Situation Improves for Emmanuel Mission International

09 August 2006

^{Archbishop M.A. Thomas
and son Samuel Thomas}

Bail for Archbishop M.A. Thomas and his son Samuel Thomas, the leaders of Emmanuel Mission International, was extended by the Rajasthan High Court on August 7. The court also restored the registration of five of the mission’s institutions and unfroze EMI bank accounts. The court also ordered the Social Welfare Department to pull its officials out of the EMI orphanage in Kota district.

India

India Information

Current Ministry Projects
VOMC assists persecuted Christians with legal support and rehabilitation assistance, and cares for children of martyrs by providing them with a safe place to be nurtured physical and spiritually. VOMC also partners to equip Christians in India with Biblical training and works to strengthen and support marginalized and persecuted Christian women. Additionally, VOMC helps to provide medical assistance to believers who have faced injuries after being attacked.”

Project Funds: Families of Martyrs, Equipping the Saints, Legal Defense, Relief and Development, Women’s Ministry, Medical Fund
Country Information
Population
1,399,179,585 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity (%)
Indo-Aryan (72), Dravidian (25), other (3)

Religion (%)
Hinduism (79.8), Muslim (14.2), Christianity (2.3), Sikh (1.7), other (2)

Leader
President Droupadi Murmu (2022)

Government type
Federal parliamentary republic

Legal system
Based on English common law; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for India
Despite the intimidation and violence that have taken place in many of India's states, may Christians wisely yet unashamedly preach the Gospel. Pray that indigenous Christians and foreign missionaries will minister in ways that do not hint at fraudulent conversions, unmasking the intentions behind the anti-conversion legislation. Intercede for India's leaders, that they may reign with justice and righteousness.

India News

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Photo: Unsplash / Wietse Jongsma

More than 180 Christian families from 32 villages in the Kanker district of Chhattisgarh have reportedly been denied access to communal water supplies and livelihood opportunities for refusing to renounce their faith in Jesus.

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Increased Harassment Since New Anti-Conversion Laws

Photo: VOMC

On the morning of May 10th, members of a Hindu nationalist organization travelled to disrupt several worship services in the city of Dhamtari, Chhattisgarh, where they verbally confronted the churches' pastors and demanded to see their identification papers. In some cases, police were also present to monitor the situation.

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Harsh Anti-Conversion Laws in Chhattisgarh

A pastor is sharing the Gospel in India.
Photo: VOM International

While many Indian states have instituted laws aimed at preventing coerced or forced religious conversions, the newly passed legislation in Chhattisgarh is notably more severe. Signed into effect by the governor on April 7th, the recently implemented law replaces a 1968 statute that Christian leaders say was frequently used as a weapon against minority communities.

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Court Reiterates Privileges for Specified Religions

India's Supreme Court Building
Photo: Wikimedia / Subhashish Panigrahi (CC)

In India, where the caste system remains deeply embedded within the framework of societal standards, those belonging to the lowest castes are classified as "scheduled castes" or "Dalits." Although historically marginalized, and often subjected to severe social discrimination, members of the lower castes receive constitutional protections and access to certain governmental benefits.

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