A neighbor who had belittled Christianity and harassed and falsely accused a pastor in a criminal case in India is suspected in a blaze that damaged the pastor’s church and home.
Jaspal Singh, a Sikh neighbor, was involved in an altercation on May 18 with a member of Prakash Singh’s church, Christian Daily International-Morning Star News reported, and prior to that had disparaged Christianity and told the pastor to leave the village.
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In a May 28 police report Jaspal Singh named the pastor as one of nine perpetrators in the altercation, but the pastor told Christian Daily-Morning Star he was actually at his job site at the time of the incident.
In hiding
The pastor has since gone into hiding.
On June 14, while the family was away, their home and church were set ablaze. As his wife returned and discovered the damage, she said Singh threw a brick at her and barely missed hitting her, she said.
She filed a police report June 16 addressing the attack and suspected arson.
World Watch
India is No. 12 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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