A Christian man in India has died after he and his wife were forced to spend the night in a cold pond for refusing to deny Christ.

Bartu Urawn, 50, from Jharkhand state, survived the night, but has now died from illness which came on afterwards.

Other villagers in Kubuaa, Palamu disrtrict were upset that he had his wife had deserted their indigenous faith.

They were made to spend the 17 hours overnight in the pond as punishment with their hands tied, their son Beneswar Urawn told Morning Star News.

After Bartu emerged, he became ill and suffered two bouts of paralysis due to nerve damage.

Beneswar Urawn said: 'All throughout the night, they were in the cold water shivering, and I along with 15-20 villagers were witness to the brutality. The villagers kept asking my father if he is ready to forsake Christ and return to the Sarna fold. He reiterated every time, "I will not deny Christ … I will continue to believe till my last breath."'

Sarna means 'Religion of the Holy Woods' and involves animal sacrifice.

Urawn said his father was forced to eat some of the sacrificial meat and drink a fermented substance before his ordeal.

The son was also attacked and his drinking water polluted, it is alleged.

The family converted 10 years ago. The survivors fled to another village 21 miles away after the attack but have now returned to their homes. 

Nine other families also converted 10 years ago, but seven families returned to their original faith under pressure from  other villagers. 

India ranks at number 15 on the Open Doors' 2017 World Watch List of countries where Christians are most persecuted.