Christian abducted, beheaded by India militants
Pastor Dale Morgan
Christian abducted, beheaded by India militants*
Leader had been targeted in earlier gunbattle
Posted: April 17, 2007
News from India
A 33-year-old Christian who was unsuccessfully targeted for death in an
earlier gun battle now has been found dead after he disappeared while
doing his job as a lineman for a power distribution company, according
to ministry leaders in India.
Manzoor Ahmad Chat had been seen last shortly after he left on a scooter
to take care of his responsibilities for the Power Development
Department in the Kakapora district, according to reports from Salem
Voice Ministries, which works to spread the Gospel throughout India and
other third world nations, focusing on the Muslim community.
"While he was going he met two believers and reminded them about the
prayer meetings. But on the way he [was] kidnapped by the militants,"
the report said.
His headless body was found a day later, with his head found close to a
nearby mosque, according to the ministry.
He disappeared on Friday, and on Saturday, "people of the Pinglena
village found the headless body from a nearby paddy field," according to
Salem's report. "He seemed to have been brutally tortured and finally
slaughtered."
Officials with Salem said he earlier had been targeted in an attack by
militants. There had been a gun battle between militants and armed
government forces at Manzoor's house just a year ago, officials said.
As the body was handed over to the family for a memorial service, police
were confronting two leaders of a militant group called Leshkar-e-Toyiba
during their investigation, the report said.
Two leaders of that group were killed by police during that
confrontation, officials said.
Rev. Paul Ciniraj, the president of the Christian Ministers of the
Churches of India, and also the director of the Salem Voice Ministries,
condemned the attack, and congratulated the government for its quick
response.
The missions organization noted that just four months ago, evangelist
Basheer Ahamed Tantry was shot and killed in Kashmir, and another attack
just last month left Pastor Ashir of the Salem Underground Church in
Kupwara severely injured.
According the government sources, the region where the attacks have
happened is known as the rice bowl of Kashmir for its production of
food, and is a key tourist area, with waterfalls, flowers, fruit and
natural scenery.
The organization works with about 430 missionaries, and has 291 home
churches (213 in India and 78 in other nations) gathering weekly as part
of its umbrella organization.
"We do charitable works by giving education to the poor children;
running orphanages; building houses for homeless; supplying medicines,
clothes and food for the needy; establishing mobile dispensaries for the
slums, interior villages and hill places," the group said.
"We run computer schools for the youth, tailoring and binding schools
for the widows and poor women. We provide monthly scholarships for the
poor nursing students as well as university and technical students."
Ciniraj was a Muslim by birth, but became a Christian years ago. Since
then he and his family have survived several attempts on their lives.
Just a week ago, confirmation came from Christian Solidarity Worldwide
that three militant Islamists were given prison sentences of up to 20
years for the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in 2005 in
Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
"We are pleased that justice has finally prevailed following the brutal
attack on the three schoolgirls in 2005," said Mervyn Thomas, president
of CSW.
Noviana Malewa, after treatments to minimize scarring from the machete
attack
The schoolgirls were attacked while on their way to school and three
were killed. A fourth, Noviana Malewa, was slashed horribly on her neck
and face but managed to flee the area and survive.
The militants put the heads of the three girls in plastic bags and
dumped them in nearby villages with notes stating, "We still need
another 100 heads. Blood for blood, a life for life and a head for a head."