Eight Christians were, in late August, still awaiting the outcome of their trial after they were arrested for distributing pamphlets about Jesus during a trauma seminar in a Christian school.
They were the first to be arrested under the new constitution, but in the days that followed others were attacked. Six people were attacked by four of their neighbours, who beat them with steel rods. Other Christian families living nearby tried to stop them, but they were fought off.
‘The people who assaulted us live near our house’, said Sunita Kumar, the wife of a local pastor, Suraj. ‘They pick on us for small reasons, but we stay silent because we are concerned about the safety of our children.’
