International Christian Concern | July 14, 2020
According to Asia News, Munshi Dev Tado, a young Indian missionary, was brutally murdered by a Maoist group in the Gadchiroli district of India’s Maharashtra state.
Sajan K George, President of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), condemned the murder. He told Asia News, “He was shot dead, presumably by a Naxalite, who falsely accused him of being a police informant.”
“The Naxalites left flyers next Tado’s body claiming he was a police informant,” George explained to Asia News. “The hateful murder of this Christian took place last Friday and Munshi’s body was found on Saturday near his native village, Bhamragad.”
Munshi accepted Jesus as Saviour and embraced the Christian faith. Later, he left the Naxalite group and began studying the Gospel to carry out missionary work.
The Naxalites is not the only threat to Christians in the Gadchiroli area. Gadchiroli is a remote tribal area where radical Hindu nationalists also operate as a threat against Christians. In August 2018, Christians face intense persecution in five villages when violent mobs attacked and claimed their faith was seen as a threat to the wider Hindu identity of that community.
According to Asia News, Munshi Dev Tado’s conversion to Christianity created hostility and tension between local radical Hindu nationalists and Christians. George went on to demand justice for Munshi Dev Tado murder and action from local law enforcement to bring his killers to justice.