Pastor attacked in Himachal Pradesh by Hindu extremists, urged to renounce faith

Shimla – A local pastor of a Believers Church was reportedly attacked by a mob owing allegiance to Hindu hardline outfit, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council) and its militant youth–wing, the Bajrang Dal, and was threatened with death unless he and his followers renounced their faith, Christian Today has confirmed.

According to Gospel for Asia (GFA), a U.S.–based mission group, on November 4, a group of VHP activists and assaulted a Believers Church pastor, Feroz Masih, accusing him of “forcibly converting” Hindus.

Masih, a Hindu convert, was traveling to nearby Norha village to comfort a fellow believer whose relative had passed away. While he was on his way, some 10–12 VHP and Bajrang Dal activists waylaid him and struck up an argument, accusing him of forcibly ‘converting’ Hindu villagers.

Pastor Masih tried to assert his innocence but, in response, was severely beaten up by the mob. The attackers also forced the pastor to sign a document that declared that he was willing to participate in a ‘reconversion’ ceremony planned for November 20 in which all 60 members of his church would also be converted back to Hinduism.

If the pastor and other church members refused to take part, the extremists threatened, they would all be burned to death, Christian news agency Compass Direct quoted Pastor Masih’s son, Ramesh, as saying.

The attack left Pastor Masih with serious injuries and he had to be hospitalized for treatment, it reported.

Pastor Masih, along with his son, leads a local chapter of the Believers’ Church in India, which meets in their house at Baijnath town, near Norha village. About 60 believers attend the worship service every Sunday.

“They [the extremists] told my father that they would come to our house on Sunday and conduct a Hindu program in which verses from the Gita, the Holy Book of the Hindus, would be recited and all Christians would be converted back to Hinduism,” Ramesh Masih recalled.

“Then they forced my father to sign a paper saying that he was willing to reconvert himself and his church members to Hinduism,” he continued, adding, “They also warned him that he, along with all the believers, would be burned alive if they refused to reconvert. They also threatened to burn down the believers’ houses.”

More shocking than the attack was the reaction of the local police who is treating it as a “minor incident.” Though Pastor Masih and his son wrote a complaint to the police station about the attack and the threat holding the administration for any loss of life or property on November 20, the police has not yet initiated any investigation nor have they arrested any of the persons accused in the letter.

“We will not allow the VHP or anyone else to hold a ‘reconversion’ meeting or any religious function in our house,” Pastor Masih said.

The names of the people who had attacked the pastor are all residents of Baijnath town. They are Harbans Lal, Madan Lal, Santosh Kumar, Ravi Kumar, Jitender Kumar, and Bablu Kumar. All of them are still at large.

According to constable Rakesh Kumar of the Baijnath police station, Pastor Masih was attacked by the VHP activists because they heard that the pastor had “forcibly” converted the wife of one local Hindu, Prakash Chand, two years ago.

However, that allegation was untrue, Kumar said, adding, “We are satisfied that Masih did not convert her by force.”

Ramesh Masih feels that attacks against his family has risen after some local newspapers alleged that they were forcibly converting Hindu villagers.

“We simply preach the message of peace and joy as given in the Bible. All the believers who attend the worship ... have embraced Christianity out of their own will,” he said, denying the allegations.

In April, this year, some VHP extremists had also threatened Masih and pelted stones at his house.

In spite of the latest death threats issued by the Hindu extremists, the police have not provided any protection to Pastor Masih or his family.

GFA has described the threat as “reminiscent of the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons” who were burnt alive by a group of Hindu fundamentalists on January 22, 1999.

“What is most important now is that we pray for this situation,” said Dr. K.P. Yohannan, founder–president, GFA. “These brothers and sisters have chosen by their own free will to follow Christ.”

“We have urged our brothers and sisters to pray for their protection, and that God will surround them with His angels and turn back any violence. We have also urged prayers for their attackers, that their hearts will be softened and the people [be] set free in Christ,” he added.

Himachal Pradesh, in Northern region of India, has one of the smallest Christian populations. According to 2001 census figures, Christians number only 7,687 in a total population of 6 million.