by Luke Booker, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Hindu nationalist mobs attacked three churches in Southern India Sunday night, leaving the local Christian communities distraught, a leading Christian advocate group reported.
The attacks took place in Andhra Pradesh, a province in Southern India, which were the first of their kind, seemed to be “well planned,” church leaders told International Christian Concern (ICC).
On March 9, during a worship service at Pastor Dodda Ganesh’s church in Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district, police interrupted the service, demanding a worship permit. They instructed Pastor Ganesh to stop leading the service and ordered him to meet with the deputy superintendent of police.
In another incident in the Satyasai district, a mob of over 25 people stormed the Jerusalem House of Prayer during a worship service. They ordered the pastor and congregation to either stop the service or move elsewhere.
The same mob then went to Grace Church, located near the local police precinct, and, in front of the police, demanded that Pastor Vinod Dua stop the church service.
“The situation is changing from bad to worse even in places which were once considered to be safe places like Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra,” Pastor Jacob Chandan told the ICC, adding that police feign helplessness, claiming it’s impossible to arrest each member of a mob.
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi won the 2014 elections, there has been a rise in Hindu nationalist organizations in India. As of 2025, India is ranked 11th on the Open Doors World Watch List, indicating it is one of the top countries where Christians experience severe persecution.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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