Officials and police in India have ordered 10 Christian churches to discontinue worship services.
Hindu extremists compelled state officials and police to issue orders to the churches in Coimbatore District to stop worship unless they obtain permission from the collector’s office. And church leaders say extremists intend to target 20 others in the same way.
Pastor Johnson Sathyanathan, president of the Synod of Pentecostal Churches of Coimbatore, told Morning Star News, “It is a well-planned conspiracy against the Christian community, as the Hindu extremists know that it is not easy to approach the collector’s office for such permissions. “The time to get such approvals can stretch from a year and a half to many more years.”
The district revenue officer told church leaders that orders against six churches were issued based on a complaint from a Hindu nationalist, a paramilitary organization.
Altogether there are 10 churches that have been directly affected in the last two months and in each case, the pastors of the churches have been doing ministry in the region for many years.
Christians are trying to fight back.
Nearly 500 approached the district sub-collector and the superintendent of police last month demanding protection and appealing for the churches to be re-opened.
The city superintendent of police flatly refused any support or action.
India ranked 15th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2017 World Watch List of the countries where Christians experience the most persecution.