‘Never give up faith in Jesus’: The last words of an Indian martyr

The local community demanded Kande pay them huge donations. And in 2018, the persecution took a horrifying turn.

Content warning: Be advised, the following account includes descriptions of sexual assault and violent acts.

When Bindu’s mother—who was not a Christian or part of the same community—was visiting the family, villagers raped her in an attempt to threaten Kande’s family and discourage them for following Jesus. The villagers regularly shouted death threats at Kande to try to get him to leave Christianity.

As this continued over the course of two years, Kande and Bindu began to discuss fleeing their village, simply for the safety of their family. They were talking about their escape as they ate dinner on June 7, when suddenly a mob of people showed up outside their home, demanding Kande come outside. At this point, according to an account Bindu provided to CSW, Kande “knew that their lives were in danger and that the men had bad intentions. He told his wife that he might be killed but assured her to remain strong and to never give up her faith in Jesus even if they killed him.”

The family decided to make a break for it, but as they opened the door and tried to escape, Kande was caught. Bindu grabbed their two daughters and ran out the back door; she tried to go to the house of Kande’s relatives, but no one would help her.

Meanwhile, Kande was beaten and was taken to another isolated location, away from the village. He was then brutally attacked by a mob of angry men from his village; they broke his ribs and pelvis and continued to rain blows on him until he died. The whole time, Bindu ran from house to house seeking help, but no one would help her—even her husband’s brothers were aware of what was happening, and were involved in the killing of their brother.

The next day, Kande’s body was found in a clearing inside the jungle by the villagers, but nobody reported the incident to the police. Bindu went to report to the local police but they did not take any action, as they were being bribed by those involved in the lynching. It was written off as a case of property dispute and no culprit was taken into custody.

After Kande’s funeral, CSW reports that Bindu’s father encouraged her to leave her faith in order to ensure her survival. But she responded: “I will live for Jesus and die for Jesus, but I will never turn back.”

Bindu is now in hiding with her two daughters. The family has been contacted by people who were involved in Kande’s killing, asking Bindu to return to their village and promising her safety—but it’s likely they intend to kill her and her children too.

Please, join your sisters and brothers in India in prayer for this family that has lost so much:

• Please pray for Kande’s family, particularly for Bindu as she mourns her husband’s murder and takes care of their two children.
• Pray for Bindu’s and Kande’s daughters, that they would know the love of Jesus and that their heavenly Father would minister to them as they struggle with the death of Kande.
• Pray for Kande’s murderers, that they would have their eyes opened and see the truth and beauty of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.
• Pray for Indian believers like Bindu and Kande, who risk everything to follow Jesus. Ask God to protect them and to help them remain faithful, and to grant rest to weary souls.