Nepal: Church in slum area demolished

As reported by International Christian Concern on 29 January 2021, on 20 January Nepalese authorities gave the leaders of Rupantaran Khristiya Church in the Naya basti slum area five minutes to remove property before they commenced with the demolition of the building. The demolition was not on the grounds of religion, but was part of a government program to provide land in the slum area for a local state-run school to build facilities. Rolf Zeegers, persecution analyst at World Watch Research comments: "This is the second church demolition in 2021 and is part of a sharp increase in such demolitions since 2018. Meanwhile, Nepal"s government, led by the Communist party under Prime Minister Oli, is currently in disarray due to a sharp division among the Communists.‚  On 20 December 2020, the prime minister dissolved the Nepalese parliament and it is still unclear in which direction the country will go. There is a strong possibility that Hindu extremists will use the opportunity to try and turn Nepal back into a Hindu country. This would have serious consequences for all churches in the country."