Hindu radicals beat pastor for refusing to worship monkey god

Hindu radicals have beaten and threatened to kill a pastor for refusing to renounce his faith in Jesus Christ and worship a Hindu monkey deity.

Pastor Karma Oraon was leading a small group of Christians in prayer on Christmas Eve in Harmu village of Ranchi District, Jharkhand state when Hindu nationalists suddenly interrupted the prayer meeting and started shouting "Praise Bajrang Bali," referring to the monkey god Hanuman.

The extremists, who were brandishing wooden sticks, reportedly dragged the pastor outside and started beating him on the chest.

"In those moments when they were kicking and beating me, I felt that even if I die now, the Lord will make the ministry I leave behind fruitful. We are just a few gathering in the name of Jesus. He is our strength," Oraon told Morning Star News.

The assailants repeatedly asked the pastor his name but they refused to believe him because his name was typical for tribal people who practice indigenous religions, not Christianity. When he showed them his identification card, the Hindu nationalists tore the document to pieces.

"They slapped me and said, 'You are Oraon? Tell us what you must do, being an Oraon? Should you should follow the Adivasi [indigenous] religion or this foreign religion?' They told me, 'Immediately you should give up Christianity and embrace Sarnaism/Sarna [indigenous religions) – if you don't, you will be brutally murdered," the pastor narrated.

The pastor said that the assailants warned the congregation that their houses will be set on fire and that they will be killed along with their families if they do not embrace Sarnaism.

Oraon said that the Hindu radicals kicked him and expelled him from the village. When he went to the police station to file a complaint, the officers refuse to register a case against the assailants or even receive his complaint.

Chotu Munda, 21, was also beaten by the radicals when he tried to defend Oraon and the female church members, who also tried to separate the pastor from the assailants.

Oraon said that he never encountered opposition to preaching the Gospel before, but he said that he still has not lost his faith in Jesus.

"I strongly feel the presence of my Lord Jesus in all this. Had He not granted the strength to endure, I could have never overcome from what happened," he said.

There have been other cases of violence against Christians in Jharkhand state during last year's holiday season.

In one incident, a group of 60 radicals reportedly stormed a house church on Christmas Day in Behratoli village and attempted to force 16 Christians to renounce their religion.

The increased threats against Christians have prompted major church leaders in India to ask the government to provide additional security at houses of worship over Christmas time.

Cardinal Baselios Cleemis, president of Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, said at the time that Rajnath Singh, the interior minister, had assured him that "immediate action" will be taken to ensure the safety of the community and bring the perpetrators to justice.

However, he said that the minority Christian community in India is "losing confidence in the government" due to the increasing attacks against them.