Answer to Prayer: Rally in India Canceled
After calls for violence against ‘cow slaughterers,’ Christians feared the worst. But the incident has been resolved … for now.
Last week, a call for violence against “cow slaughterers” took place in India at a massive Hindu gathering.
Speakers, including a man named Aadesh Soni, suggested that people who butchered cows or ate beef were fair game for attack. Soni also targeted four specific villages he identified as majority-Christian, sparking huge concern among many followers of Jesus. He called for a rally on March 1, and believers around the world prayed against any potential mob violence.
Now: Praise God, the large-scale rally which was scheduled to take place on March 1 was called off!
Soni’s speech attracted world-wide attention and increased pressure from around the world. Various Christian and human rights organizations spoke out and Soni uploaded a Facebook video to say he was postponing the event indefinitely—later, he stated that it may be considered canceled.
Soni expressed hope that the central and state governments, administration, and law enforcement will ensure protection to cows and that such a situation will not occur again where they must resort to such extreme steps to protect cows.
On February 25, a state-level meeting, attended by various government officials and Christian leaders, was held in Raipur, the capital city of Chhattisgarh State (the state where the rally had been scheduled to take place), to address the incitement of large-scale violence. After the meeting, police provided assurances that there would be protection and security for the Christian-majority villages.
In the following days, a few religious organizations and Christian leaders met and agreed to maintain peace and order and protect each other’s religious values and oppose anti-social activities. Various Christians from different denominations gathered and protested the planned rally and public threats.
There were no reports of violence or persecution throughout the day. The situation in the three villages remained peaceful and calm, with vigilant police officials patrolling constantly.
This is the result of our prayers: we saw a mighty move of God as people all over the world prayed for the Christians of Chhattisgarh, especially for the believers of the villages targeted by Soni: Vishrampur, Ganeshpur and Jhanakpur.
Local Christians are grateful for the fervent prayers and request for continued prayers for peace and harmony in Chhattisgarh state.
Pray
Prayers are still needed: In his video announcing the cancellation of the March 1 rally, Aadesh Soni stressed that this is not the end of their mission. He said the fight for “Gau Nyay” (justice to cows) will continue and his supporters must remain vigilant to ensure that no illegal activities of cow slaughtering take place. Please continue to pray with Christians in India, and praise God that violence was averted on March 1!
