Pastors assaulted in Karnataka

A group of Hindu extremists have reportedly attacked some pastors and other believers and have vandalized a prayer hall in Hiriyur area of Chitradurga district, Karnataka, February 17.

According to news obtained by Christian advocacy group, Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), a two–day prayer meeting was being conducted in Harishchandra Ghat when the attack took place.

The owner of the prayer hall, Pastor Amul Raj, 36, was leading the prayer meeting and had invited Pastor Alanghamani, Pastor Ravi and Brother Sridhar from different places to preach in these meetings on February 16–17. The church leaders also had approached the local police in advance to request permission for conducting these meetings.

On the night of February 16, the pastors noticed that some members of radical Hindu outfits were attending the meeting. However, the pastors did not suspect anything as they caused no problem. However, on the morning of February 17, when the morning prayer session mainly for the pastors and church leaders was going on, a large crowd of supporters of the Hindu fundamentalist outfits, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bajrang Dal group assembled outside the prayer hall and began chanting anti–Christian slogans. Accusing the believers of converting people to Christianity, the mob then stormed into the hall and ransacked the place, destroying furniture and equipment. The mob also physically assaulted the believers and threatened them with dire consequences if they again attended such a meeting in the future.

The Hindu radicals also reportedly dragged several pastors, including Pastor Amul Raj down from the stage and started abusing and beating them.

The mob then proceeded to the police station where they, shouting "We are all Hindus and we are all one," tried to register a complaint against the pastors for forcibly converting people to Christianity.

The mob even produced two believers as witnesses who, however, refused to testify against the pastors.

Later, the Hindu radical urged the police to produce Pastor Amul Raj in the police station and arrest him. At their insistence, the police ordered Pastor Raj to come to the police station but refused to register any complaint against him or any other pastor, saying that only the person who was converted by this pastor should lodge the complaint.

"Pastor Raj is still receiving threats on the phone," Sajan George, president, GCIC, said, urging the believers to pray for Pastor Amul Raj, his wife Mary Shaila and two sons, Abhishek, 10, and Solomon, 8.