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Jailed missionaries granted bail, but denied release

Written by Chronicle Staff Report

Wednesday, 06 August 2008

These four Gospel for Asia missionaries remain in jail despite the fact that they have officially been granted bail. Photo by GFA.

CARROLLTON, TEXAS, AUGUST 6, 2008 – Four Gospel for Asia missionaries being held in a Karnataka, India, jail have officially been granted bail. But a judge has added several hurdles that must still be crossed before the men are released. The missionaries, Yohan Samuel, Raj Lohra, Nanji Bir and Shobha Joshi*, were arrested July 31 and charged with attempting to force people to convert to Christianity and with “offending the sentiments of the people.” They are still under lockdown until the judge returns from vacation to approve their release.

After several days of negotiations, the judge issued the bail order on Tuesday, however, several unusual stipulations applied. The conditions were as follows:

    * Post bail money
    * Five local landowners with extensive holdings must sign off on their release
    * A certified local government official must sign off on the release

Gospel for Asia leaders were able to meet the requirements, but the judge who granted the missionaries’ bail is on vacation until at least August 8.

The missionaries, three of which are Bible college students doing their internship, were having a prayer meeting in Yohan’s residence at about 9 p.m. on July 31 when a mob estimated to be 700 people showed up and began harassing them. They were brutally beaten before being thrown in jail.

“We are so happy that God protected us. We are rejoicing here with the Lord. But, pray for our bodies; we were beaten quite badly. Please pray that we would receive healing,” one of the missionaries told the GFA leaders who visited them.

The leaders faced heavy opposition as they appealed on behalf of the missionaries. They arrived in the town the day after the arrests to find that the anti-Christian extremists responsible for the attack had organized protest rallies.

The group also called for a local strike, which could cripple any business and government work. They threatened the local lawyers to dissuade them from taking on the missionaries’ case also.

The leaders did manage to find legal representation for the missionaries, but anti-Christians have been working against the lawyers since the beginning of the case. It wasn’t until the missionaries had been in jail for a few days that the lawyers were finally able to meet with the judge.

The missionaries request prayer that the judge will return on August 8 and grant their bail. They also ask for prayer for physical healing from the wounds they received when they were beaten. They will not be able to obtain medical treatment until they are released.

Gospel for Asia is an evangelical mission organization based in Carrollton, Texas, involved in sharing the love of Jesus across South Asia.