Displaying items by tag: seed blessing attack

Twenty pastors were brutally attacked in Kotamateru village, Odisha state, India, while attending a Christian seed-blessing ceremony on June 21. Local villagers, armed with axes, knives, and wooden sticks, ambushed the pastors as they left the event, accusing them of religious conversions. Despite prior verbal police approval and peaceful intentions, the pastors were violently assaulted, leaving 30 injured and 10 hospitalized with severe wounds. Among the victims was Sukra Madi, 52, who remains in critical need of surgery his family cannot afford. Eyewitness accounts and video evidence confirm the deliberate nature of the attack, yet no arrests have been made. Police instead pressured Christians into a coerced “compromise” agreement, allegedly using language barriers to secure misleading signatures. When over 7,000 Christians protested the police inaction, authorities responded by filing criminal charges against 30 Christian leaders. This incident reflects a broader pattern of increasing hostility towards Christians in India, which now ranks 11th on Open Doors' World Watch List. Pastors and families continue to pray for justice, healing, and freedom to worship peacefully.