Hindu extremists ruthlessly hunt down Christians in India

Vijay Masih was embarrassed to welcome his guests in such uncomfortable conditions. He had borrowed his sister’s cottage; his own being under construction. His wife, Preeti, prepared a chai to provide warmth in the icy atmosphere of late December. In the spring, the evangelical pastor and his family had moved to an informal village just outside Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India. There’s no electricity, no sanitation, no asphalt. He sleeps on a makeshift mattress outside on the dirt. But at least he feels safe in this all-Christian community of over 300 people.

For 12 years, Masih served the Evangelical Church of India 100 kilometers away in Fatehpur, a large rural town. He had a salary and a house, and his two children attended a private school. But an event suddenly interrupted the thread of this tranquil life: On April 14, 2022, the eve of Good Friday, as he and 70 other Christians were preparing for Easter celebrations in the village church, hostile chants were heard.

This article is originally published on https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2024/01/06/hindu-extremists-ruthlessly-hunt-down-christians-in-india_6406265_4.html#