India: 12 Christians acquitted of false allegations from Hindu extremists
(International Christian Concern) –On October 10, the Mandelshwar District and Sessions Court of Madhya Pradesh acquitted 12 Christians falsely accused of violence by Hindu radicals. After hearing statements from the accused and other witnesses, Judge Sangeeta Dawar Maurya dismissed the charges filed against Pastor Damar Singh and 11 other Christians.
The charges against Pastor Singh and the 11 other Christians stems from an incident that took place on Good Friday 2015. According to reports, a mob of suspected Hindu radicals attacked Pastor Singh and his congregation as they held a Good Friday worship service.
After the attack, the radicals filed criminal complaints against Pastor Singh and the other Christians accusing them of stone pelting, abusing, beating up, and for making life threatening calls. These false charges were accepted by police and the Christians were arrested.
False criminal charges are often filed against Christian victims of persecution in India. Hindu radicals use these charges to both justify their assaults on Christians and further harass their victims. False charges of forced conversion and blasphemy are most often utilized by radicals as both offenses are so serious that bail is not an option.
Check out the ICC post HERE
Locator map of the state of Orissa, India with district boundaries. Photo/Jayanta Nath via wikimedia commons
