By Andrea Morris / CBN News
Hindu extremists reportedly broke into a Christian pastor’s house in northern India, attacked him, and slit his wife’s throat over accusations that he was luring people to Christianity.
Morning Star News reports that a group of eight people, including two women, entered Pastor Rakesh Babu’s home in Uttar Pradesh state’s Vyaspur village, Chandauli District on Jan. 14.
The assailants threw the pastor to the ground, beat him with wooden sticks, and tried to choke him.
“I did not see if they were carrying a knife, but the object used for slitting my wife’s throat was done with a sharp object, and from the deep wound, it appears to be a knife,” Babu told Morning Star News. “The moment they slit my wife’s throat with the sharp object, she fell down unconscious.”
Despite being bloodied from several injuries, Babu was able to run toward wet farmland but the attackers caught up with him and the violent assault continued.
Babu’s son begged the extremists to let his father go.
“My son came and wept before the assailants. He pleaded with them to not hit me,” he said. “While he was pleading, I got an opportunity to escape, and I hid myself in a Christian home.”
Babu added, “If my son wouldn’t have come, and I would have not escaped, they would have killed me. If I would have fallen unconscious in the muddy puddle, I would be dead, because they were chasing to kill me.”
Villagers heard the commotion and began to assemble. Babu told Morning Star the extremists ordered him to stop leading church services before they finally fled.
According to Babu, there were no available doctors to treat his wife’s neck wound, so she did not receive stitches or proper medical treatment.
Babu tried to report the attack to the Shahupuri police but officials there refused to register his complaint. The officers told him to seek medical attention for his wife and himself first.
After receiving treatment, the pastor and his wife went to the Mughalsarai police station to file a report, but officers turned them away there too.
“It was only when a senior officer came and scolded them that they registered our complaint,” Babu said. “We were in very bad condition physically.”
An officer in charge arrested two of the assailants. However, they were released the next day.
Babu also pointed out the officers had altered his handwritten complaint in which he detailed the attack.
“Despite clear words in my complaint letter, the police changed the words,” the pastor told Morning Star News. “An officer dictated to my son, and he was scolding my son and making him write the words he was saying. They even forced him to write that the attack was caused due to a land dispute between me and the assailants and that the place of attack was my farmland, which is completely a lie.”
He added, “It was all planned. They tried to weaken my case wherever possible. Police soldiers were sent to the hospital where we were taken for a medical investigation. The soldiers spoke to the doctor, and the report too was made in a way such that my case would not appear to be strong.”
Babu said he was previously involved in a land dispute with a local family who wanted to demolish his church building. They attempted to gain enough signatures to raze the structure, even threatening villagers who refused to sign the petition.
“When they were not successful in gathering enough signatures, they directly attacked us,” Babu said. “We had no argument or fight with them. They targeted us because we are Christians.”
Open Doors, a worldwide persecution watchdog warns in its 2022 World Watch List, “The persecution of Christians in India is intensifying as Hindu extremists aim to cleanse the country of their presence and influence.”
India currently ranks 10th on of places in the world where it is most difficult to be a Christian.
This article first appeared on cbn.com