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In a shocking turn of events, police then accused the Christians of “forcibly-converting” people and disturbing the community. Officers made a series of arrests, seizing women, a three-year-old child and the church pastor. The Hindu mob threatened to attack and kill everyone enjoying the ceremony.

Speaking to Morning Star News, Pastor Pankaj recalled how hundreds of people walked into the room brandishing horrific weapons.



He said: “I had just started to speak when a mob barged into the ceremony and began to spitefully speak to us.



“They were about 250 people and every single one was carrying a rod or a wooden stick. It was evident that they were there to attack us.”



Those arrested were later released after Christian groups pushed authorities to grant them bail.



Churches are often destroyed by Hindu nationals

The US classifies India's christian persecution as a Tier 2

But it was later revealed they were forced to confess to trying to forcibly convert people to Christianity, despite being innocent.



The pastor added: “One of the policeman asked the attackers to allow the police to take us to the police station, where [the officer said] we would be beaten up and straightened.”



There was another unbelievable twist after Attorney Harjinder Singh visited the Hindu mob leader to encourage him to drop the charges.



The attorney was punched in the face by the doctor, with the legal representative, not the attacker, later charged with house trespassing and intentional insults. READ MORE: CHRISTIANITY CRACKDOWN: Church BURNED TO GROUND by extremists

The former Foreign Secretary warned persecution was reaching genocide levels

When police were informed, victims were promised a full investigation would take place, but no information on its proceedings had been received in a massive gaffe for enforcement agencies.



India has suffered from high levels of Christian persecution and features prominently across international concern lists.



The US Commission on International Religious Freedom places India’s persecution severity at Tier 2.



Open Doors USA, who monitors Christian persecution around the world, placed the country tenth on its World Watch list in 2019, the highest India has ever ranked on the chart.

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Hindu is the most popular religion in India

Speaking to Open Doors, one Indian church leader said: “Hindu nationalists are trying to turn India into a ‘Hindustan’, with no place for Christians, Muslims and other non-Hindus.



“If you are Indian, you are Hindu. If you are not Hindu, you are not Indian, would be what Hindu nationalists say.”



Of the country's 1 billion people, there are a total of 65million Christians living in the country.



India saw 325 incidents of Christians being targeted in 2018, slightly down on 2017 but almost double annual numbers reported between 2012 and 2015.

India is plagued with issues of Christian persecution

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