A group of unknown assailants murdered an evangelical pastor in Andhra Pradesh and also attempted to murder his wife before leaving the scene.
At the time of writing, the authorities have not managed to bring the perpetrators to justice, but they have managed to arrest a group of Christians who held a demonstration to have the perpetrators arrested.
The murder victim, Pastor Sanjeevulu, died on Monday, January 13 after two days of suffering. According to some sources, on January 11, four men arrived at the pastor's house in Vikarabad, a village located 64 kilometers west of the state capital Hyderabad. The pastor led a group calling itself "Friends of Hebron".
Standing on the doorstep outside the pastor's home, the men said they wanted to pray with him. But as soon as he stepped outside, they stabbed him seven times and beat him with clubs and sticks.
Hearing her husband's screams, the pastor's wife ran to him and the attackers tried to kill her too. Although she was stabbed, she fortunately managed to escape and save her life.
The pastor was admitted to Yashoda hospital where, despite intensive treatment, he died two days later from his injuries. The day after the attack, many Christians visited the hospital to express their grief over the attack. Christian leaders in Hyderabad organized a dharna (sit-in demonstration) where they demanded from the authorities that justice must be done.
Some of the believers demonstrated outside the Prime Minister's office to have the perpetrators arrested, but they ended up being arrested themselves. The police stated that they will launch an investigation into the case.
Sajan K. George, President of the Global Council of Indian Churches, told AsiaNews that he was "deeply moved" by the murder of the pastor. "While the motive is still unknown, we must strongly condemn the fact that Christian persecution is once again taking place in Andhra Pradesh. We need to see justice prevail," he said.
"About three months ago," he added, "we know that Sanjeevulu had a heated discussion with some members of a Hindu fundamentalist group who threatened him. It could have been a planned assassination."
Source: AsiaNews
