Tag Archives: India

Heat Wave Kills Over 1,100 In India

A heat wave in India has left over 1,100 dead in the last month according to local officials.

Over 850 of the dead are in Andhra Pradesh state during the last two weeks.  The temperatures in both states have topped 113 degrees fahrenheit and the forecasts continue to have temperatures hovering in that range.

Government officials are running announcements on radio and television asking people to drink water and to avoid going outdoors during the hottest parts of the day.

AccuWeather says the heat wave is the most intense in years.  High peaks were as much as 10 degrees higher than the average.  High, hot, dry winds are causing dust storms that are causing problems on top of the high temperatures.

The heat has been so intense that it has melted roadways in New Delhi.

The country’s power grid has been challenged by the heat wave as people attempt to use fans and air conditioners.  Poorly maintained transmission lines contribute to overloaded grids with he massive use.

The country could see relief in a few weeks when monsoon rains are expected to begin.

Hindus Drive All Christians Out of Indian Town

A village in northeastern India is now without a single Christian after a vicious attack by Hindus.

At least three Christians, including a 7-year-old girl, were seriously wounded in the assault April 17th in Amtola village.

The assault began April 17th after a Christian church service.  The members were gathering for a meal when 100 Hindus armed with swords, bamboo sticks and rocks attacked the group.  At least 15 were injured in the assault, mostly with wounds on their upper bodies, with the three who were seriously injured taken to a hospital.

“Right now there are no Christians in the village – all have fled,” said David Boro, a pastor in Guwahati. “The Christian families who were the main target of the attack are now in a safe-house after they were released from the hospital. The more critically injured are still in the hospital, and when they will be released, they too will join the others in the safe-house.”

Church leaders said the Christians have nothing to return to in the village even if it were safe for them to come home.

“Not satisfied with merely beating the Christians, the mob led by Hindu extremists broke and destroyed the homes of these Christian families,” said another Christian leader, Kamleshwar Baglary. “All together, five houses have been completely destroyed along with household items.”

“Out of the five families who had declared themselves as Christians, two have gone back because of the constant attacks and social pressure against them,” Baglary said. “Members of the Hindu extremist groups earlier also had physically attacked these families during the time of the Bihu [Assam’s cultural] festival.”

Boro said that the attackers didn’t even spare the women and children, making it clear their goal was to eliminate the Christians.

Police have taken no action.

Hindu Extremists Attack Churches

Just days after reports that 20 Christians were tortured by police in the Indian state of Rajasthan, Hindu extremists attacked two churches in four days.

In central India’s Madhya Pradesh, the extremists forced their way into a private home and beat the Christians inside the home.  The town’s police were backing up the extremists during their assault.

The group accused pastor Lal Singh of converting poor Hindus to Christianity in violation of law.   After the beatings, the police arrested two of the Christians.

The police also confiscated all the Bibles and other Christian materials in the home as “evidence.”

Then about 45 miles away in Alirajpur District, a dozen extremists shouting anti-Christian slogans tried to break into a church service at Rampura village.  About 300 people were in a service as the extremists tried to storm the building.

“They were shouting slogans against Christianity and using abusive language,” said Pastor Kanhaiya Lal, whose church worship site moved from Jobat to the village three years ago. “I had not seen most of them before and think they are from nearby villages, because I do not recognize them as residents from Jobat city.”

Church members stayed in the building and continued to worship until police showed up to remove the extremists.

Indian City Bans Public Gatherings Due To Swine Flu

A city in western India has banned public gatherings after swine flu has killed almost 1,000 people in the last 11 weeks.

Officials in Ahmedabad have banned gatherings of more than 5 people.  The city, the capital of Gujarat state, is going to allow funerals and weddings but all participants and attendees must wear protective masks throughout the gathering.

The law used is usually to stop rioting or social disorder.

Gujarat state has the second highest number of deaths in the country from the H1N1 virus.  The ban went into place after the assembly speaker and the state health minister both were found to have the virus.

Doctors say the death toll is likely climbing because people are delaying going to hospitals believing it’s just a regular cold and not swine flu.

Federal Health Minister J.P. Nadda said the country has enough medicine to treat cases and the public should not panic.

President Obama Says Non-Christian President Is OK

President Obama spoke to a group in New Delhi and said that it would be perfectly fine for the United States to not have a Christian President.

“In our lives, Michelle and I have been strengthened by our Christian faith. Still, as you may know, my faith has at times been questioned — by people who don’t know me — or they’ve said that I adhere to a different religion, as if that were somehow a bad thing,” Obama said, according to ABC News.  “Every person has the right to practice their faith how they choose, or to practice no faith at all, and to do so free from persecution and fear.”

The President was speaking to the group about the religious divisions in India that have been causing an increase in violence.  Christians in India have been demanding the government take action against Hindu extremists that torched or vandalized churches and committed personal attacks on Christians.

Obama also addressed the country’s current struggles with gender equality.

“I’m surrounded by smart women,” Obama said. “Every woman should be able to go about her day — to walk the street, or ride the bus — and be safe and be treated with the respect and dignity.”

International persecution watchdog Open Doors ranks India 21st in countries where Christians face the most severe persecution for their faith.

India Detains Man For “Spreading Christianity”

A Christian man has been jailed in India because of “reasons of public order” despite the fact he has committed no crime.

Police arrested Arvind D’Souza on January 2nd after a group of radical Hindus in Uttar Pradesh began to riot, claiming that D’Souza had been “spreading Christianity.”

The group also said that D’Souza was committing the “forced conversion of women and children through the gift of Bibles.”

Superintendent of Police Amethi Hira Lal told Asia News that he had “found no evidence that D’Souza used force in converting anyone.  However, since the fact could undermine public order, they took him into custody in accordance with Article 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and placed him under preventive detention for 14 days.”

The president of the Global Council of Indian Christians called the action a serious violation of human rights.

“This is a trend that is spreading more and more in India,” Sajan George said.

Ten-Year-Old Boy Sacrificed In Witchcraft Ceremony

Police in Pilibhit, India say a 10-year-old was tortured and killed as part of a witchcraft ceremony.

Police say that an Indian worker whose goal was to get spirits to allow his wife to get pregnant killed the boy, called Pranshu, in a sugarcane field.

The boy had been missing for two days before his body was found by his father in the field.  The family believed at first the child had been attacked and killed by animals until further investigation found the witchcraft connection.

After police had proof from the autopsy of the murder, they questioned the family’s neighbor who was taken into custody for the killing.  The man’s wife has also been taken into custody by authorities and is being questioned regarding her role in the murder.

Ban On Christianity In India Causing Increased Violence

Local officials are teaming with Hindu extremists to attack Christians in India.

Christians in Madota, Bastar District, were summoned to a meeting by local officials to discuss issues related to problems with non-Hindu religions worshipping in the region.  When the Christians arrived, no local officials were there, but a mob of Hindu extremists showed up to beat the Christians.

“Some of the injured Christians were admitted in a hospital in Jagdalpur, and some local Christians have also been forced to go into hiding due to the constant threats they received from the right-wing groups,” Bhupendra Kohra told Morning Star News.

The government has banned missionaries and Christians from worshipping in the region.

“The district authorities, along with some right-wing elements, are also pressuring us to withdraw the petition filed in the high court against the ban on the entry of non-Hindu missionaries in Bastar,” said Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum. “Now our writ is pending in the high court. We see this latest attack as a pressure tactic.”

Local officials have said their goal is to stop Chrsitians from being able to discuss their faith with Hindus.

Avalanches Stop Rescue Efforts For Storm Survivors

Avalanches have hampered rescue efforts after a massive storm that rocked Nepal.

Over 600 people have been rescued so far from a hiking trail on Annapurna, the world’s 10th highest mountain peak.  A massive snowstorm hit the mountain because of a cyclone that struck nearby India.

Rescue workers say today will be their last day to try and save anyone trapped because of avalanches and the storm.

“After this we can only hope that those who are missing will establish contact with us or their families,” said Kesa Paned of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal.  “We don’t think that any tourist is missing now. I am getting reports that some local porters and tour guides who were on the trek have not been traced so far.”

The confirmed death toll is at 40.  Officials said the dead tourist was an Israeli.

The death toll includes tourists from around the world including Canada, India, Israel, Japan and Poland.

Denver Area Pastor Dies In Mission Trip Accident

Congregations throughout the Denver, Colorado area area mourning with Grace Community Church who lost their pastor in a tragic accident while on a mission trip.

Pastor Terry Broadwater was in the Himalayas with his son and other church members conducting services.  The pastor and the mission team would hike to small towns in the high peaks and minister to the villagers.  The church said the pastor apparently slipped during one of the hikes and fell off a cliff.

“It is with extremely heavy hearts we share the news that, as a result of a climbing incident, Pastor Terry Broadwater went to be with the Lord today while on a mission trip to India,” Church leaders said in a statement. “Terry was on the trip with his oldest son and several members of Grace’s leadership and pastoral team. At the time of the accident Terry and the team were in a remote part of the Himalayas.”

“Due to the location, further details are taking time to be developed and efforts in country are being coordinated between Terry’s family, local Indian police, Grace leadership, and the U.S. Embassy in Delhi.”

The trip was said to be a way the pastor melded his passion for hiking and being outdoors with the gospel.  He had been married to his wife Jo Ann for 32 years and leaves her behind with three children.