Release International

Hindus opposed to a Christian evangelist in Madhya Pradesh have falsely accused him and three other Christians of murdering a young man killed in a gang fight.

Pastor Kamlesh Tahed, 32, insists he was in another village on a pastoral visit when Roop Singh Baria was killed in Mehendi Kheda village, Jhabua district, on August 8. He also insists that the three other Christians accused with him – Kasna Tahed, Ramesh Tahed and Vasna Tahed – are innocent too. These three men have been taken into custody; Pastor Tahed has fled the area and gone into hiding. Local Christians say Roop was killed in a clash between rival clans.

The pastor, whose ministry has apparently angered local Hindus, spent 20 days in jail in 2001 on false charges of 'forcible conversion' before a judge acquitted him.

Compass Direct news agency says Pastor Tahed supports his wife, six children, his parents and his four orphaned nephews and nieces – and, as an unpaid evangelist, his only source of income is a small plot of farmland.

(Source: Compass Direct)

• Ask God to protect and provide for Pastor Tahed and his family.
• Pray that murder charges against all four Christians will be dropped.

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