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Rampur, HP: Rev. Binu John, a social worker who
rehabilitated several alcoholics in Rampur, was forced
to leave Himachal Pradesh after he was threatened by
local Hindu fundamentalists and the police.
On April 9th, Rev. John was talking to a small group of
believers in a school ground in Rampur, Himachal
Pradesh, when they noticed some police men stepping out
of a jeep and making enquiries. One police man shot a
video of Binu and the young Himachali believers. Then
another police man called Rev. Binu aside and began to
question him. Then they were taken to the police
station.
At the police station, they began to interrogate him in
a rude manner, with profuse usage of expletives. Some
men had accused him of indulging in conversion
activities. He was threatened with dire consequences if
he continued his activities. He was asked to inform the
police every time he came in or left Himachal Pradesh.
Then Rev. Binu, with the permission of the police,
called over phone, a couple of influential people that
he knew in Rampur. One was his landlady and the other
was a school principal. After the police interacted with
them, they became a little soft towards Rev. Binu. They
let him go that evening as he told them that his wife
and little daughter were put up in a lodge.
However, they asked him to report at the police station
the next day around 10 am. Rev. Binu called several
leaders and believers and asked them to pray for them.
The next morning, he reached the police station along
with some of the believers. One CID officer took aside
one of the believers who escorted Rev. Binu and began to
ask him, “How much money did he give you to change your
faith?” He was very rough with them.
That day Rev. Binu experienced the undeniable presence
of the Lord. He was not at all afraid. He was confident
and answered all the questions boldly and gently. There
were again a barrage of questions that were shot at him,
but he felt a divine enabling to answer each of them. He
produced all the documents pertaining to the NGO that he
had started in Himachal and gave convincing proof of all
the works he had done. Some of the young people shared
their testimonies boldly.
Then the police officer asked Rev. Binu and his friends
to wait for sometime as a group of people wanted to meet
them. A group of 10 to 12 people from fundamentalist
groups came into the Police station and spoke very
rudely with Rev. Binu and the young men with him. These
abusive and arrogant men accused him of various things
about which he had no clue. They said that they knew
that he was preaching and influencing people in the
guise of social work. They asked him to leave Himachal
at the earliest. One of them issued open threat standing
inside the police station, while the policemen were mute
spectators, and said if he is seen again in Rampur, they
would break his legs and throw him into river Sutlej.
There also God gave Pr. Binu wisdom to answer them
properly. Then the police told Pr. Binu that they were
concerned for his life and that it was better for him to
leave Himachal Pradesh as there is a threat to his life.
Pr. Binu had planned Good Friday and Easter meetings for
the church, which he had to canc
el and return to Delhi.
In the year 2003, Binu John, a member of The City
Fellowship Centre, Delhi, had received a clarion call to
work in Rampur of Himachal Pradesh. He went there with
his wife Alwyna. Binu reached out to Rampur's young
people by helping them with their studies. Very soon
they discovered that many of them had loose moral life
and were addicted to drugs and alcohol. The Lord enabled
Binu to receive training and start a rehabilitation
centre for the addicts.
He registered his work as a social agency that helps
young people to get out of addictions and become
responsible citizens. In a short time they had a small
church that regularly met in the rehabilitation centre.
They were visiting several homes on the nearby hills and
the Lord worked through them in bringing deliverance to
several lives. After about 5 years, they sensed the Lord
asking them to leave Rampur and go back. So they trained
some leaders and handed over the ministry to them.
However, he visited them several times.
Though at this point he is not sure if he would be able
to go back to strengthen those believers again, he
quotes from Isaiah 46:10-11, "I make known the end from
the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to
come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all
that I please.”
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