By Matters India Reporter

Ferozepur, July 31, 2020: A pastor was found dead in the Ferozepur district of Punjab state in northern India.

The body of Pastor Balwinder Bagicha Bhatti was discovered by some people by the roadside in Zira Tehsil July 27, reports Persecution Relief, an ecumenical group monitoring attacks on Christians in India.

Joseph and Alisha, Persecution Relief coordinators inf Punjab, visited the family to express their empathy and to extend support to the bereaved family in the best ways possible.

The slain pastor’s sister told the Persecution Relief coordinators in Punjab that her brother was returning from a village after visiting a Christian home. “At around 8:45 pm, a few people came and told us that they had seen my brother lying bleeding beside the road” said the woman, who lives with the pastor’s family.
The pastor’s sister rushed to the spot and saw her brother lying motionless on roadside. “We immediately called an ambulance.” However, the pastor was declared dead on arrival.

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Hanook Bhatti, a Persecution Relief coordinator in Punjab, said footprints of blood were seen on the road when he went to spot the following morning. The family believes that the pastor was assaulted and killed him when he tried to escape. The family found him with his clothes tattered and his shoes scrapped, as if he was dragged and beaten, the coordinator explained.

The police have registered a case of accidental death which the family claims untrue. The family has urged the police to undertake a thorough probe to get justice for the victim’s family.

Balwinder’s funeral is scheduled for August 5.

Balwinder is survived by his wife Nisha Bhatti and five children. Besides the sister, the pastor’s father is also lives with the family.

A few years ago, Pastor Balwinder’s brother was also murdered.

Balwinder used to gather people regularly on Sundays to pray and worship in home.