Pastor and Wife Beaten for Preaching to Slum Dwellers

Pastor Paul David (29) and his wife Prasanna Kumari (25) were beaten and forced from their home in Bangalore, Karnataka on January 15, according to a report from the Global Council of Indian Christians. For the past two years, Pastor David has been conducting church services in his home that are mostly attended by people from the nearby slum.

On January 11, a mob gathered outside the couple's home, beating Pastor Paul and forcing him and Prassana to flee from their home. Fearing violence, local Christians did not offer them any assistance and they had to spend the night on a terrace. After finding safe storage for their belongings, the couple returned to Bangalore the next day and found a small room in the slums.

At approximately 6:30 p.m. on January 15, a mob surrounded Pastor Paul and Prassana's room.  Both of them were robbed and severely beaten. When Pastor Paul demanded that they be taken to the police station, the mob continued to abuse them for over an hour before taking them to the Mico police station. They were falsely accused and questioned for two hours before being released. The couple then hid in a half constructed building in a school compound until the next morning, when they found shelter in a friend's home.

Ask God to give the Pastor Paul and his wife healing.  Pray that, as sufferings overflow, their comfort in Christ will be more than enough for them (2 Corinthians 1:5). Ask that all Christians in India will keep their eyes on Jesus, persevere in their faith, and not grow weary or lose heart. (Hebrews 10:32-39; 12:1-3).

For more information on persecution in India, click here. You can also view video reports from India on the persecution facing Christians at VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.

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

  • Supreme Court to Review Anti-Conversion Laws
    The India Supreme Court building is surrounded by trees.
    The Supreme Court of India.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Subhashish Panigrahi (cc)

    The Supreme Court of India has agreed to hear a series of petitions challenging the constitutionality of anti-conversion laws enacted by several of the country's states. On September 16th, the court issued notices to the respective state governments, requesting their formal responses within four weeks. The case is scheduled to be heard in six weeks, and the judges have indicated that they may consider ordering the states to pause the enforcement of their existing laws until a decision is made.

  • New Policies Further Restrict Religious Freedom
    A brightly lit church building is filled with people.
    A church in India.
    Photo: Flickr / Ashish Kumar Milap (cc)

    Recent developments in two Indian states have raised serious concerns for Christians, particularly in relation to the newly heightened restrictions on religious conversions. In the first incident, police in Chhattisgarh notified more than 200 house churches around the state capital city of Raipur that worship gatherings within private homes are no longer permitted.

  • Pastors Arrested and Assaulted
    A crowd is gathered around a church building.
    A screenshot of people disrupting the service in Bhilai.
    Photo: Morning Star News

    On July 20th, six pastors were arrested after a mob disrupted a church service in Bhilai, a city located within the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The assailants chanted Hindu slogans and accused the pastors of engaging in forcible conversions. As the mob grew increasingly vocal, shouting obscenities and threatening violence, Pastor Baksh locked the church doors to protect his congregation members.