By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) - The wife of a pastor allegedly murdered in northern India for his Christian faith says she will continue his work.
Pastor Vinod Kumar died June 30 in Sangoi village after explaining his faith in Christ to a Hindu who was released from prison on bail, several sources confirmed.
The released inmate, Sonu Kashyap, was publicly identified as a suspect in the pastor’s murder. "I do not know what came upon [Kashyap] that he took such a drastic step of killing [my husband] so brutally," stressed the pastor’s wife Sunita in remarks shared with Worthy News.
However, “I have resolved to carry on the work my husband was doing, and I want to live his dream out," she added.
Suspect Kashyap, who had been in contact with the pastor for over two months, invited the pastor to his home for prayer, Christians said.
However, he rejected the pastor’s call to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, according to several sources familiar with the case.
PHONE CALL
Just before he was murdered, Pastor Kumar arrived in Kashyap’s village after receiving a phone call from the main suspect’s brother that a villager was sick and in need of prayer.
As the pastor was leaving Sangoi village, Kashyap ambushed him, according to residents. The former prisoner allegedly struck him from behind with a wooden beam, knocking him to the ground. He then repeatedly struck the pastor to the point of death, Christians said.
Immediately after the attack, villagers captured the attacker, who was still holding the beam in his hand, several sources said. “Without intervention from the police, the perpetrator could have been killed by the mob of villagers,” noted Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), an advocacy group following the case.
Police reportedly listed the motive for the murder as "trivial animosity. But the pastor's wife and other Christians suggested the attack was motivated by Kumar’s expressed faith in Christ.
Police also charged Sonu Kashyap’s father and brother with involvement in the murder. Worthy News wasn’t immediately able to receive reactions from the suspects.
VILLAGE DOCTOR
Besides his wife, Pastor Vinod Kumar is survived by his 11-year-old daughter.
Well respected by the community, the village chief reportedly recalled the murdered pastor as having “a good testimony and name here.”
As a registered medical practitioner, the pastor was referred to as "Doctor" for “faithfully serving” villagers spiritually and physically, Christians said.
His wife suggested she realized the dangers of continuing “the ministry work” of her husband in this heavily Hindu nation. "Vinod became a martyr for his faith, and I too will die for my faith."
The case underscored concerns about widespread attacks against devoted Christians in several parts of India.