A 28-year-old Christian missionary was shot dead, presumably by a Naxalite belonging to a Maoist-oriented Communist party in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra.
Munshi Dev Tado was falsely accused of being a police informant and brutally murdered last Friday. His body was found the next day near his native village, Bhamragad.
Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), told AsiaNews that Tado himself was a Naxalite before he encountered Jesus Christ. He tormented and persecuted Christian families in the area.
"Munshi came to know Jesus Christ through the Church Growth Missionary Movement (CGMM) in Tamil Nadu, which was engaged in missionary activity in the area. Once Munshi embraced Jesus as Saviour and freely accepted the Christian faith, he left the Naxalite group and began studying the Gospel and carrying out missionary work," George explained.
Before killing Tado, the Naxalites had warned him twice to stop preaching about Jesus Christ and conducting prayer services.
George condemned the murder of Tado in the strongest possible terms and said, "Munshi Dev Tado's conversion to the Christian faith led to hostility and tensions. He was murdered in a remote wooded area for his Christian faith and Church and for preaching the Gospel."
"The GCIC demands justice for Munshi Dev Tado and the truth about his murder. Law enforcement must bring the killers to justice."
Tado is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son.
