Death of Indian minister part of terror campaign

Indian police say that they are unsure of why a Christian minister was shot dead in the northeastern province of Jharkland, but local Christian leaders believe it is part of an orchestrated campaign.

Chamu Hasda Purty, 54, of the Independent Pentecostal Church, was shot dead on 12 October in the Khunti district of Jharkland. Police officials said that the attackers are still on the run.

On the day after the murder, the right-wing Hindu nationalist organisation Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for an anti-conversion law in the state.

“Anti conversion law should be formulated in Jharkhand. Christian missionaries are silently working on their agenda, converting tribals,” VHP leader Pramod Mishra told The Times of India.

"In the last 15 days, over 300 people belonging to Asur, one of the nine primitive tribes, have been converted to Christianity," he added.

The ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist party, Bharatiya Janata Party, said they will investigate tabling an anti-conversion law.

Nuas Mundu, a close family friend of the murdered man and a minister himself, told UCANews.com that a group of armed men barged into the minister's house and one of them shot him.

Christian leaders have reported several cases of attacks against Christians after pro-Hindu groups gained political importance in the country.

The motive "is to terrorise Christians" said Subhash Kongari, a lawyer and district president of Rashtriya Isai Mahasangh, the national Christian forum.

Mr Kongari told UCANews.com: "Every year we witness an average of two murders in the area and several other forms of violence. They are all part of an agenda to terrorise people [so that they] disassociate with Christianity."

Jharkhand, with a population of 33 million, has some 1.4 million Christians, most of whom are indigenous people or those belonging to the dalit or former untouchable castes.

The state's 4.5 per cent Christian population is almost double that of the national average.

Additional reporting by UCANews