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| Pastor Abraham Topno |
Ranchi: A Pentecostal pastor was killed by some unidentified people in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand.
Persecution Relief, an organization monitoring attacks on Christians
in India, reported May 2 that Pastor Abraham Topno, was allegedly
murdered by religious fundamentalists the previous night. The pastor had
served the “Fellowship Church,” a Pentecostal group.
However, Nuas Munda, a senior pastor working in Ranchi, told Matters
India that the family members suspected Maoists behind the murder.
The outlaws suspected Pastor Topno was a police informer and had
warned him in the past. However, he or his family did not take the
warning seriously as he had never been a police informer as the rebels
suspected, said Pastor Munda, 58.
On May 1 night, more than 25 rebels waylaid Pastor Topno’s four
wheeler as he was on his way back from a local market and forcefully
took him away to a nearby dam close to his house at village Kubasal in
Ranchi district.
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| The jeep was found near the body, having been set on fire (AsiaNews) |
“There they cut his throat and killed him. The body has been taken to
Ranchi for autopsy,” Munda said and added, “We plan to bury him if we
get the body back before the sunset.”
Ranchi is the state capital.
The attackers let go driver Ranga Singh Munda, after capturing Pastor Topno and torching the vehicle.
“Pastor Topno was a very well-known Christian in the community,”
Shibu Thomas of Persecution Relief stated quoting Aman Christo, the
pastor’s nephew, and another local pastor Nuas Mundu.
Pastor Topno is survived by his wife. As they have no children, the couple had adopted Christo.
