Source: www.persecution.org
Date: July 11, 2024
India (International Christian Concern) — In the middle of the night on July 7, Hindu extremists broke into the home of Pastor Sushil Kumar and killed his teenage son as he slept.
As Nilesh Kumar slept in the veranda of the home, located in the Arwal district of the north Indian state of Bihar, the attackers broke his hands and strangled him to death. They then dragged the body of the pastor’s only son outside and hung it from a nearby bamboo tree.
Local Hindu extremists had harassed the Kumar family for some time, verbally abusing and pressuring them to abandon their faith in Christ. After Pastor Kumar filed several complaints with the police, members of local high-caste communities threatened to kill his son.
Although Christians are often attacked and even killed for their faith in India, such attacks are rare in Bihar. Pastor Harendar Kumar, who has pastored a nearby church for the last decade, said this is the first such incident he has heard of in the state.
“Generally, we do not have much opposition or problems for our ministry,” he said. “We do not have much persecution in Bihar, so the killing of the pastor’s son is surprising and shocking for all of us.”
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for comfort and healing for this family. Pray for their protection from future attacks. Pray for the attackers to be held accountable for this act of violence.