A neighbor hostile to the family's faith is suspected of setting fire to a pastor's church and residence in Amritsar district. The same pastor had already fled his home months earlier after being falsely named in a criminal complaint.
According to a Morning Star News report published on July 2, 2026, a pastor's church building and home in Amritsar district, Punjab, were set on fire on the night of June 14, while the family was away. Neighbors and the local fire brigade helped put out the blaze, but the fire destroyed furniture, appliances, personal documents, sixteen Bibles, and other materials used in worship.
In the weeks before the fire, a neighbor hostile to the family's faith had already been making derogatory remarks about their religion, telling them on more than one occasion to leave the village "or we will not let you live here peacefully." The report indicates that this same neighbor — who has other pending cases against him for alleged drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession — was named by the family as the prime suspect in the fire.
As if losing the church and home weren't enough, the pastor had to flee and live in hiding since May, after being falsely named in a criminal complaint tied to an altercation involving other church members — a charge the family attributes to the same person suspected of the arson.
Using false criminal complaints against Christian leaders is a recurring tactic in cases of religious hostility in India: even without evidence, the mere existence of a case forces the accused to hide or answer in court, draining time and resources that could go toward caring for the congregation. Combined with an act of direct violence like arson, this double pressure — legal and physical — leaves the family doubly vulnerable, without a home and unable to move freely to rebuild their lives.
The original report identifies the pastor, his wife, and the suspect by name — this site keeps its practice of never publishing names, photos, or specific locations of workers, even when the original source includes them.
Pray for this pastor and his family, for protection while they remain in hiding, for justice in the case brought against him, and for provision to rebuild the church and recover what was lost in the fire.
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