Higher authority

Mr. Shrishti washes cars. He is married and has a child - with another one on the way.

Mr. Shrishti and his wife are both HIV positive.

Over the past few months he has been through hell - since the police were after his brother in a murder case.

We talked to him about this and prayed with Mr. Shrishti. He then took a very courageous decision and went to the police. They said that he should produce his brother - and they would stop harassing him.

It seemed an end game to us.

But Mr. Shrishti called up his brother and told him to come. His brother did not want to. We feel that he has had experience with the police before. It is an open secret that most undertrials are beaten - in the name of interrogation - at the local police station before they are taken to the jail. The fear of this is enough to keep most people far away from the men in khakhi uniforms.

Mr. Shrishti told his brother that he had talked to a high authority - who had assured him that his brother would not be beaten. His brother asked who it was - and gave the names of various police officers he knew about. Mr. Shrishti told him that he would not tell him who - but that he should come.

Last week Mr. Shrishthi's brother came to Thane - and Mr. Shrishti took him to the police.

The brother was put straight in jail - instead of being sent back to the police station for questioning as the local police had requested. This was a total miracle.

Later Mr. Shrishti went to meet his brother in jail. He then told him the name of the authority he had consulted and who had told him that his brother would not be beaten: Jesus Christ.