At approximately 10:00 a.m. on July 10, Hindu militants in the city of Chitradurga barged into a tea stall attended by Sharada, the wife of Pastor Nagaraj, and questioned her about her faith, according to a July 18 report from Evangelical Fellowship of India. The militants demanded to know how much money her family received for converting to Christianity and accused her and her husband of forcible conversion. They also threatened to burn her alive. Sharada was dragged to the police station where a complaint was filed against her. Pastor Nagaraj was also summoned to the station and upon his arrival was beaten by the militants while police looked on.

Also in Karnataka, four Christians were beaten and accused of forcible conversion by Hindus at approximately 5:30 p.m. on July 18 while visiting a housing colony in the western region of the city of Bangalore. The believers were brought to a police station three hours later. Later that night, they were presented before a magistrate and sent to the Bangalore Central Jail, where they remained at last report.

Pray for the release of the imprisoned believers. Pray that those who falsely accuse believers of forcible conversion will see that the Good News is a free gift and will respond to faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9).

For more information on how Christians suffer in India, click here.