Christians who were preparing to hold a worship service were brutally attacked allegedly by Hindu radicals - Bajrang Dal at Kotla village in Madhya Pradesh; subsequently they were arrested on false conversion charge to the dismay of believers.
The incident happened on November 4 when Pastor Rana and Mr. Sam who work with Mumbai-based Bethel Pentecostal Church and other seven believers were preparing for a prayer service, suddenly local Bajrang Dal activists barged into the place and started beating the worshippers, "even removing their clothes and beat them up mercilessly on their backs and punched their stomachs with their fists. They also used belts to whack them with," said a report.
Later, the attacked informed the Bilkhariya police that the eight individuals had planned forced conversions. Subsequently, they were arrested upon filing the charges to the local magistrate court that had rejected bail for them.
Christians have also often blamed the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act, introduced in 1968 as a tool to harass and intimidate the vulnerable Christian minority.
