Rampage Hits 'Untouchables' AGAIN | thebereancall.org

TBC Staff

Rampage hits 'Untouchables' AGAIN in India [Excerpts]

A marriage was the spark that sent angry mobs of caste Hindus out into three areas of Tamil Nadu, India. Gospel for Asia reports that almost 300 homes were destroyed by a mob, incited by the marriage of a caste Hindu girl to a Dalit boy.

Upon learning of the marriage, the girl's father committed suicide, and mobs took fierce revenge on unsuspecting families in not only the boy's colony, but two adjoining colonies as well.

An estimated 1,500 homeless Dalits spent the night in fear without shelter before being housed in government schools. 

[The] founder and president of GFA, says the plight of the Dalits--India's "untouchables"--is growing more critical daily.

"Christians everywhere are called to urgent prayer for these oppressed people who are crying out to God for hope," said Yohannan. "Only Jesus Christ can offer the ultimate hope and freedom these abused people seek."

This story was actually broken by a major Indian newspaper, "The Hindu." Few of these stories ever make the papers, indicative of the silent suffering of the Dalits, who almost never receive public attention.

This kind of violence inflicted by the upper castes is not an isolated incident...The Dalits are considered subhuman, less valuable than farm animals and therefore not even part of the lowest of the caste system. They are segregated, treated as slaves, and mercilessly abused. In many places, they are denied access to safe water, education, and choice of faith and occupation. In their suffering, they are opening their hearts and seeking hope.

http://mnnonline.org/article/17902