BARAW, India — In an effort to stop conversions to Christianity in the eastern state of Bihar, a 25-year-old ailing man detonated a crude bomb March 8 in a church and shot the pastor. Police Inspector Hari Krishna Mandal said the attacker, Rajesh Singh, had come fully prepared to kill Pastor Vinod Kumar in Baraw village in the Nasriganj area of Rohtas district and then take his own life. Church members caught Singh before he could kill himself or others.
At press time, the 35-year-old pastor was out of danger of losing his life, according to a leader of Gospel Echoing Missionary Society (GEMS) who requested anonymity. The church, Prarthana Bhawan (House of Prayer), belongs to GEMS.
“In his statement, Singh said he was personally against Christian conversions and wanted to kill the pastor to stop conversions,” Mandal said. Asked if Singh had any links with extremist Hindu nationalist groups, the inspector said no such organization is active in the area, though local Christians say Hindu extremist presence in the area has increased recently.
The GEMS source said the incident could have been a fallout from conversions in nearby Mithnipur village, where a Hindu family had received Christ after being healed from a mental illness around six months ago. Singh also lives in Mithnipur. Additionally the source said people allegedly linked with a Hindu nationalist group had sent a threatening letter to the pastor, asking him to stop preaching in the area.
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