Pastor Suresh in Bahraich, UP
“There were eight policemen; they closed the door after barging inside. And then they started beating up my wife and me for half an hour. They kicked and punched my wife. They kept shouting abuses at us and kept asking us, with whose permission you are converting here?”
Pastor Rohit in Patiala, Punjab
“…four people from my village broke into the church premises and pushed me around and beat me up. They also cursed me and my believers and threatened me that I will not be allowed to complete the construction of this church.”
Pastor Naveen in Koraput, Odisha
“We struggle to get our caste certificate; we won't get housing under the Indira scheme. Our names won`t be on the list.”
Adivasi Christians in Kondagaon, Chhattisgarh
“Even on our own land, we are not able to bury our dead since the BJP and other right wing nationalist leaders and the Samaj leaders claim that these lands are ‘Adivasi’ land, not meant for burying Christians”
Pastor Bhavani in Karnal, Haryana
“It is more difficult for a woman pastor in today’s time where questions are raised about our character on Facebook. Viral videos threaten our mobility. Her character is always up for dissection and question. It is very difficult to explain that I am not just a woman, I am also a servant of God.”
Pastor Jeevan in Bengaluru, Karnataka
“What affected me the most, when they twisted my son’s [14 years] hands and beat them with hand, sticks and stones. They beat our workers too. We got scared – they started hitting us with stones and other construction material around. They chased us for nearly one kilometer.”