The family of murdered church leader, Sultan Masih, claim the police ‘are not taking the case seriously’ and that 'they have yet to find any concrete leads' despite CCTV footage of the shooting. “In the name of interrogation, we are being harassed by the police,” said Alisha Masih, Sultan's son.
Police in India’s north-western state of Punjab investigating the murder of church leader, Sultan Masih ‘are not taking the case seriously’, according to his son, Alisha.
Sultan Masih 47, was shot at close range by a passenger on a motorcycle on 15 July outside the Temple of God Church, where he was the senior pastor. He suffered multiple wounds to his body and head.
“Three months have passed since the incident and they have yet to find any concrete leads,” said Alisha Masih. “In the name of interrogation, we are being harassed by the police.”
Alisha also claimed that their police protection had been removed, “Our security has been withdrawn without even telling us,” he said. A motorcycle squad was stationed outside their residence for 24 hours immediately after the murder, but now it is nowhere to be seen.
After the murder the Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, promised that the killers would be brought to justice. He also pledged 500,000 rupees (around £6,000) for Masih’s widow and a guaranteed job with the police for one of his sons. But according to Alisha they have yet to see any of this, “They were just announcements. Nothing has been given to us yet,” he said.
The Christian community were shaken by the incident because they considered Punjab to be a safe state due to a good relationship with the majority Sikh community.
“The state of Punjab is very safe for Christians. There are Sikhs living here – they are also a religious minority in India. We are also a minority, but never before have we had any threats. But unfortunately this has happened and we are all shocked about how this is possible,” said fellow Temple of God Church pastor Paul Tamizharasan.
Hundreds of Christians took to the streets the day after Sultan’s murder in protest, blocking off a major national highway for three hours until they received assurances from the police that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. But three months on there has been no progress despite CCTV footage of the shooting. According to Alisha the Christian community will protest again if the case is not solved soon.
As well as being the Pastor, Sultan Masih also ran a school for the poor from inside the church. He leaves a wife and four children - two of whom were adopted.
"Our father was a courageous man and he was never afraid to die for Jesus," Alisha said. "He has put the same zeal in us. Our family will continue to serve God."
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