Pastor, college student tricked, beaten in India

Pastor, college student tricked, beaten in India

BEGUSARAI, India — Police in eastern India obeyed Hindu extremists’ orders not to interfere as they beat a pastor and a Bible college student, leaving the pastor with internal injuries.

The extremists lured Assemblies of God Pastor Ajay Kumar and a trainee to a marketplace in Begusarai on March 17 by saying they wanted to learn more about Jesus, Kumar said. When they arrived the Hindus instead offered the pastor money to officiate the wedding of a Christian and Hindu. The Christians suspected the Hindus were trying to entrap them with the appearance of Christians taking money to fraudulently convert people.

When they refused, the extremists beat them, and when a policeman ran toward the site of the assault, the extremists told him to “remain out of this and to let them handle the Christians in their own way,” Kumar said.

When senior police officials arrived they arrested the two Christians rather than the assailants, Kumar said. Police detained them until after midnight before releasing them on bail. (MS)