For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
George Kuzhikandum and Vijay Ekka (2000)
Murder Witness Killed
George was a teacher and church leader in a part of India where tensions between Hindus and Christians are always near the surface. He was attacked by a group of Hindus, who beat him with iron rods until he died. This happened on 7 June 2000 while George was on the campus of the school where he taught, Brother Polus Memorial School, near Mathura, Utter Pradesh. The incident was witnessed by another Christian called Vijay Ekka, who died in police custody in suspicious circumstances three days later.
Vijay gave a statement at the police station about George’s murder and was promised by police that he would be released on the same day, but he was detained for questioning for several days. When his friends visited him after two days, Vijay told them that the policemen were torturing him. After he died, the police reported that Vijay had committed suicide, but a post-mortem revealed that he had been beaten and given electric shock treatment, which caused his death. Vijay left a pregnant wife.
As a Hindu I endured the self-discipline and much study for one purpose – to better myself, to achieve heaven by my own deeds. Christianity starts with man’s weakness. It asks us to accept our selfishness and inabilities, then promises a new nature.
Paul Krishna, a former Hindu