Nepal: Pastor abducted and severely beaten

On 15 March 2019, a pastor in Nepal"s southeastern district of Sarlahie was abducted by a group on motorbikes and severely beaten, as reported by International Christian Concern on 29 March 2019. The group of men claimed they were Maoists and ordered the pastor to hand over the money he received for spreading the Christian faith. Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "Although the abductors told Pastor Kumar that they were Maoists, local Christians believe they were probably a radical Hindu group and may have been trying to conceal their true identity. This is indeed more likely and points to the growing influence of Hindu militancy coming across the border from India. It is anyway an indication that the situation for Christians in Nepal is becoming more difficult, even though the number of violent incidents against Christians in Nepal is currently not high."