India: Pastor Eventually Dies After Beating
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – A 70-year-old Indian pastor who was brutally beaten by Hindu nationalists in Tukkuguda two years ago has just died.
According to International Christian Concern, Pastor Krupaiah had endured many trials for the sake of the Gospel. In 1984, he was brutally assaulted by Hindus while he was distributing Bible tracts at a market place in Ameerpet, Hyderabad.
In 2013, Krupaiah was again beaten by dozens of Hindu radicals after he joined 50 other pastors for prayer and fellowship in an independent church in Tukkuguda. Seriously injured, Krupaiah was rushed to a hospital while his assailants were falsing accusing him and the other pastors of being involved in forced religious conversions.
Although his visible wounds were healed, the blood clots from Krupaiah’s internal injuries continued to threaten his life; eventually all the violent beatings Krupaiah had received during his ministry ended in systemic organ failure.
Krupaiah’s wife Rodemma requested prayers both for her bereaved family and for the ministry her husband left behind.
Rural pastors are often the targets of right wing Hindu nationalist groups, said Pastor Timothy, leader of a local fellowship. These pastors have no medical insurance and lack sufficient financial support, which makes their situation even more difficult when they suffer violent religious persecution.
While many Christians in India are persecuted on a daily basis, pastors are often the first to be singled out because of their high visibility in minority religious communities.