The discovery of explosives in one village days ahead of a brutal assault on a Christian community in another village has raised fears of a repeat of the large scale anti-Christian violence in Orissa state, India. A church leader and the 12 families in his congregation were attacked by Hindu extremists on 15 June in the village of Mitrapur. Evangelist Baidhar (50) was making his way home from a prayer meeting in a believer’s home when he was set upon. He was seriously injured and left bleeding on the ground. He was found shortly afterwards by local Christians who took him to hospital. Around 50 Hindus then attacked the Christian community in the village. The assailants looted the homes of the 12 families. The Christians fled the village. A few days before this incident, on 10 June, police seized more than 50 homemade bombs and 12 blocks of dynamite from a hut in Gambhari village, Puri district. The offenders fled and the explosives were taken to the police station to be defused.
Pray: against any recurrence of extremist activities in Orissa state. (Ps.5:11)