Christian couple survives deadly attack by radicals in India
On the 18th of November, Deba Madkami and his wife, Jogi, were working in their agricultural fields in India’s Odisha state when they were attack by men wielding sticks and an axe. According to the Christian couple, they were attacked because they filed a complaint against local villagers who were harassing them due to their faith.
At approximately 1:30 p.m. five men carrying sticks and an axe confronted the Christian couple as they were working in their fields. Suddenly, one of the men struck Deba on the shoulder, yelling ‘You have given a complaint to the police, today, we will not spare you, we will kill you’.
The other men joined in the attack, striking Deba with their sticks. Deba tried to protect his head as the blows rained down on him, but two of the assailants held his hands back. The man wielding the axe attempted to hit Deba in the head, but Jogi blocked the deadly blow. In response, another assailant struck Jogi with a stick, rendering her unconscious.
Deba was then hit with the axe, thrown to the ground, choked, and rendered unconscious. The assailants dragged Deba to a nearby pond and threw him in. When the assailants returned to Jogi, they could not find her. While they were throwing Deba in the pond, Jogi regained consciousness and fled to the nearby jungle.
“I was watching them come for me,” Jogi told International Christian Concern (ICC). “I was very scared and thought that if they found me, I would surely be killed.”
Jogi hid in the jungle until dark and slowly made her way back to her home where she continued to hide. “I was praying for God to save my husband,” Jogi said. “I did not know what had happened to him. I assumed he was dead.”
However, Deba was not dead. When the assailants threw him into the pond, he regained consciousness and was able to flee to another village where he met Pastor Kosamadi.
Pastor Kosamadi took Deba to a relative’s house, gathered a group of 10 other pastors, and went to the police station to report the attack. After giving a written complaint, Deba was taken to the Malkangiri Government hospital.
“I was very scared when we were unable to find my wife,” Deba told ICC. “Many negative things crept into my mind which made me very uncomfortable.”
On the 19th of November, police found Deba’s wife in her house and rushed her to the hospital. Both Deba and Jogi are now in hospital, recovering from the attack.
“I am happy that we both survived this deadly attack,” Deba told ICC. “It is only God’s miracle that we survived. Now they will know who saved us, none other than God almighty.”
Source: persecution.org
