SIRVIL, India — Two Christian women were gang-raped by villagers in India’s north-central state of Madhya Pradesh May 28 after the husband of one refused to deny Christ. The villagers apparently had the encouragement of a local chief and the backing of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
After beating Gokharya Barela, villagers took him to Sirvil village where the village court demanded he forsake Christianity. His refusal led to the rape of his wife and the wife of Garsia Barela, also a Christian. Both women attend prayer meetings of the Indian Evangelical Team (IET). The BJP has filed “forced conversion” cases against nearby Christian missionaries and is planning to accuse an IET member of the same charge to try to insulate the perpetrators from prosecution, said Sajan George, national convener of the Global Council of Indian Christians. (TAB)
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