Four Nihang Sikh warriors are accused of using swords to attack and critically injure two brothers who lead a house church in India’s Punjab state, telling them “We will not let you practice church here.”
On April 18, 2024, orthodox Sikh warriors confronted Pastor Gurjeet Singh and his younger brother, Gurdeep, outside of their home, which has served as a well-known church in the area for eight years. According to local reports, the brothers had been receiving threats to shut down the prayer fellowship held at the church but continued their ministry despite the warnings.
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When members of the Sikh community began attending the prayer meetings, the group of Nihang Sikhs (who wear navy blue and carry swords and daggers) started looking for reasons to create conflict and intimidate the brothers into shutting down their church.
“Finding my brother-in-law alone, they surrounded him and began to attack him,” said Daljit Kaur, Pastor Gurjeet’s wife. “They struck him with swords on his head, hands, palm, and wrist.”
After hearing the commotion, Gurjeet rushed to save his brother. He was then attacked with swords as well. The attackers blamed the brothers for preaching and converting people.
“Gurjeet sustained severe injuries on both his hands, one arm, his palm and thumb,” said Kaur. Both lost two fingers in the attack.
While traveling in an ambulance, Kaur told Global Christian Relief that she was rushing her husband and brother-in-law to a hospital in a nearby city after learning their rural medical center could not provide adequate treatment.
Though a formal First Information Report (FIR) has not been registered yet on behalf of Pastor Gurjeet or his family, “a lot of local media and police had assembled after the attack,” said Kaur.
According to official reports, the cause of the clash was an argument regarding parking in the alley. The reports deny the angle of “religious conversion.” Due to the claim of a disagreement over insufficient parking, the involvement and commitment of the police to pursue further justice remains unclear. Witnesses have stated that the four attackers threatened Gurjeet twice, warning him to shut the church.
Gurjeet and his wife have two young sons, while Gurdeep and his wife have three children.
“Please pray that no further complications will develop,” said Kaur, as both brothers received operations April 19. “These are deep cuts and serious operations.”
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Hannah Mitchell and Peter Lawson are writers for Global Christian Relief (GCR), America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.
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