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Family refutes police claims in death of Christian in India

Compass Direct News (CDN) is reporting that the family of a 20-year-old Christian found dead last week in the northern state of Rajasthan suspects he was killed by Hindu nationalists, though police claim he died of cardiac arrest, reports Dan Wooding, founder of ASSIST Ministries.

The CDN story says that Narayan Lal, a farmer from Hameerpura Patar village in Arnod sub-district of Rajasthan’s Pratapgarh district, was found dead the evening of Tuesday, August 17, 2010, near a forest where he had gone to tend his goats.

Lal was a volunteer teacher in a 10-day Vacation Bible School organized by an indigenous Christian organization called Light of the World Service Society (Jagat Jyoti Seva Sansthan) in his village area in May, and a relative who requested anonymity told Compass that some villagers “did not approve” of the young man spreading Christianity.

“It seems his throat was strangulated,” the relative said. “I do not know who did it, but I am sure he was murdered. His family was facing opposition for their Christian work, particularly by some residents of Nadikhera village [near Hameerpura Patar].”

CDN went on to say that a post-mortem report showed no injuries or bruises, and three doctors suggested he died of cardio-respiratory failure, police said. The relative questioned why police did not inform the family of their autopsy report.

“We would have taken the body to a private hospital for confirmation,” the relative told the news service.

The CDN story concluded by saying, “Though police denied having heard that the family suspected murder, the relative said that Lal’s father told police his son was seemingly killed by some people from Nadikhera village who had been opposing him and his family.

“Salamgarh Police Inspector Govardhan Ram Chowdhary was unavailable for comment,” the story added.

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TAGS: India Hindu nationalists death of Christian persecution anti-Christian violence Vacation Bible School

[08/26/2010]

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