Francal Digal and Narayan Manjhi, both evangelists from Nagpur, Maharashtra, were beaten up mercilessly and forced to the police station by Hindu extremists belonging to the Bajrang Dal in Kiroda village, District Gondia, which is a part of Maharashtra state of India.
The evangelists, originally from Nagpur city, were accompanied by Pastor Pandurang from the Believers Church of India’s Gondia branch. They traveled together up to the village of Kiroda to hold meetings in a local believer’s house. During the course of the meeting, they were also scheduled to show two gospel movies named “Subhsandesh (Good News)” and “Dayasagar (Sea of Love).
According to local sources, when the meeting was over and the evangelists were packing up their projectors to leave, the members of Bajrang Dal surrounded and attacked them without provocation.
The mob divided Francal and Narayan between them and beat them brutally with large bamboo sticks. The local pastor from Gondia attempted to intervene but was pushed away and was told, “We have nothing to do with you.”
The Bajrang Dal members then dragged the evangelists to the local police station alleging forceful conversions. The police could see the condition of the evangelists, but they merely recorded their statements and sent both evangelists for medical check up.
The evangelists’ request for filing an FIR (first information report) was rejected and their projector and other equipment confiscated by the police.
At the time of writing this account, the evangelists’ report had not been accepted by the police on the pretext of “investigation.” Pastor Pandurang and their local host in the village have been called to the police station as well for recording of their statements, and they are afraid that they too might be indicted.
Please pray for Pastor Pandurang and the two evangelists that the Lord would give them the courage to face this situation.
