WARNING! ADDITIONAL PHOTOS IN THIS ARTICLE ARE GRAPHIC!
India is the world's largest democracy, yet it is still one of the most dangerous places for those who share the Gospel message. And it isn't just militant Hindus and Sikhs who persecute evangelists and Christian converts. Maosists have also felt threatened over the years by the spread of Christianity in India and Nepal.
Last Friday night, Maoist in the East Godavari District of Andra Pradesh state decided they'd had enough of John Maraiah. Two hundred of them reportedly entered into two tribal villages in Chintuir Mandal and slit the throat of the former pastor.
They accused Maraiah of being a police informer and they left a letter threatening to kill anyone who informed on them.
The Maosist say the local police have arrested and tortured some of their supporters.
India has battled a long Maoist insurgency and does not want Maoists to seize control of local and state governments throughout the country--just like they did in nearby Nepal. A lengthy insurgency in that country brought an end to the monarchy and the world's only Hindu kingdom. The king was deposed and Maosist now control the Nepal government.
Maraiah's brutal murder was not the only recent persecution incident reported in India. Militant Sikhs attacked Pastor Jagdish Gill in the village of Banagava in Uttarakhand state. They beat him and reportedly "dragged him to the gurudwara (Sikh temple)." He was "forced to bow down...and eat an offering."
Watch a cell phone video of the attack on Pastor Gill here: Courtesy of Sajan George, Global Council of India Christians
Pray for India Christians and bold evangelist like pastors Maraiah and Gill who risk their lives daily in service to Christ. Pray for their families, that God would draw them close to Him and encourage them in their faith.