Eight Christians Assaulted by Radical Nationalists in India’s Odisha State
07/29/2020 India (International Christian Concern) – According to Matters India, on July 21, a group of radical nationalists brutally attacked eight Christians in Badaguda village, located in the Koraput district of Odisha, India.
“The goons broke into the home of 75-year-old Chachiri Muduli, who was sheltering seven Christians after their homes had been broken down earlier this year by the same fanatics,” Ayuba Khora, a local pastor, told Persecution Relief. “The goons mercilessly beat the Christians and destroyed the house.”
“Eight Christians in all were admitted to the local government hospital with severe injuries, of which the elderly Chachiri had the worst wounds,” Khora added.
Pastor Khora, who runs a house church in Badaguda, leads a community of around 40 Christians who gather and pray every Friday. In recent months, local villagers have been harassing the congregation saying, “When you pray, our gods leave us, so you have to stop praying here or leave this village.”
Pastor Khora and other members of the congregation have filed First Information Reports (FIR) on three different occasions. However, local police have done nothing and have not arrested the radicals identified in the FIRs.
Since January 2020, Persecution Relief recorded 18 cases of Christian persecution in the state of Odisha and six murders since 2015. Also, 293 cases of Christian persecution were recorded in the first half of the year and 2,067 cases of hate crimes against Christians from January 2016 to June 2020.
