“It is the duty of the police to act...”- Reverend Godfrey Yogarajah

 A national Assemblies of God pastor and his wife were viciously attacked by a mob in Sri Lanka after being accused of "spreading Christianity."

A mob of around 40 people led by members of the Buddhist clergy, severely attacked Regional Presbyter of Deniyaya Reverend Jayalath and his wife while they were returning home after visiting a member of their congregation, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL). The incident took place in Deniyaya in Southern Sri Lanka on August 9 at 1pm.

According to a report released by the NCEASL the mob comprised a member of the Deniyaya Pradeshiya Sabha and several Buddhist monks.

The pastor and his wife were assaulted by the mob and questioned as to who gave them permission to live in the area.

They were then taken to the house they had just visited, at which point the mob turned on the lady of the house and her daughter demanding to know how much they were paid to convert to Christianity. Despite the family's adamant claims that they had been a Christians a long time and made the decision voluntarily, the mob beat the pastor again.  

Although the pastor and his wife managed to escape and alert authorities, their ID cards and the pastor's mobile phone, Bible and other documents were stolen during the assault. The spokesman for NCEASL further added that several church members whose phone numbers were stored on the pastor's phone have since received calls from a person pretending to be the pastor, asking them to meet him at various locations. The ID cards have been returned, but the phone and Bible are still missing.

Reverend Jayalath, who had suffered injuries to his legs and arms, did not want to go to hospital as he feared he would be harmed there. He lodged a police entry the next day.

Roshini Wickramasinghe, attorney-at-law, said that the police had not taken any action over the complaint.

Ms. Wickramasinghe added that the Reverend had refused to divulge the identity of one of the assailants, despite knowing who it was, as he feared for his safety.

Reverend Jayalath and his family left Deniyaya shortly after the incident for fear of further attacks.

Reverend Godfrey Yogarajah, General Secretary of the NCEASL, said that he was appalled by such an act and disappointed that no proper action had been taken by the police to ensure justice was served. “This act is just another example of growing religious intolerance on the part of a few in the country. It is the duty of the police to act on such a complaint and ensure the safety of the citizens of the country,” he said.

Police spokesman, SSP Ajith Rohana, apparently has said that he was unaware of such an incident.

Meanwhile, expressing grave concern Omar Beiler, AG World Missions regional director for Eurasia said, "Dreadful scenes like this are tragically becoming all too common in many areas of the world. This pastor, his wife, their children and their entire church family are in desperate need of our prayers.

“This was not the first attack on the pastor and his family. Unknown assailants attacked the pastor's home August 1, using clubs to smash all the windows. Although no one was injured, the incident left the couple's children, ages 14, 10 and 8, traumatized and fearful, and glass fell on the 10-week-old baby's bed while the child slept”. The pastor made a complaint at the Horana Police station in the morning (Entry no: 385/01).

According to Greg Mundis, AG World Missions executive director, about 500 Christians are in Deniyaya area, but Christians throughout the country - as well as in other areas of the world - are also being persecuted.
 

By Dinouk Colombage