INDIA – Recent incidents of persecution
30/08/07
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Chhattisgarh – Two pastors were arrested on charges of 'hurting religious feelings' and 'fraudulent conversion' on 26 August after Hindu ultranationalists and police disrupted a church's Sunday worship following the baptism of five converts in Chhattisgarh state.
Arun Pannalal, general secretary of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, said nationalists from the Dharam Sena entered the church shouting anti-Christian slogans and, accompanied by police, made allegations of forcible conversion where 52 people were worshipping in Bhilai sector, Durg district.
Independent church pastor Charles Patel had baptised five new converts in a nearby river before the service.
Police summoned the church members to the Nevai police station, where they interrogated them and the newly baptised converts "who insisted they had willingly accepted Jesus as their Saviour and that it was a conscious, personal decision to embrace the Christian Faith," Mr Pannalal said.
Two strangers showed up telling police that pastors Samson Patel (brother of Charles) and Neeraj Martin had given them money to convert to Christianity.
Charles Pastor Patel told reporters, "We have never seen those two men before, they are unknown to anyone."
Police Inspector Anil Bakshi told reporters that Samson Patel and Martin have been charged with 'deliberately injuring religious sentiments' and with violating provisions of the state anti-conversion law.
Karnataka – On 26 August, at least 25 Hindu ultranationalists launched a violent attack on a house church in Kolar district, Karnataka state, stabbing one member and beating the pastor.
In Raji Nagar area, Malur, the attackers beat 38-year old independent pastor Emmanuel Venkatesh and M S Thimmakka and stabbed a church member identified as Venkattarajappa on his hand and hips, reported Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians.
The attack took place during Sunday worship at Thimmakka's house in Malur, about 34 miles from Bangalore.
The nationalists also vandalised Mr Thimmakka's house.
All of the injured were admitted to Malur Hospital.
Circle Inspector Shiva Kumar initially tried to defend the perpetrators when Dr George contacted him, but the official later filed a complaint against them.
No one had been arrested at press-time.
Andhra Pradesh – On 22 August, Hindu ultranationalists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh allegedly prompted a neighbour of a Christian shopkeeper, identified only as Justin, to beat the store owner after he accidentally broke a Hindu idol outside his business in Nizamabad, Andhra Pradesh.
Area shopkeepers intervened, sparing the Christian from further attack, according to the All India Christian Council (AICC).
The Christian was cleaning the shop and the surrounding area when he tripped and fell on the idol made of mud, breaking part of it, an AICC official told reporters.
The following day, the shopkeeper's neighbour filed a police complaint charging that the Christian deliberately broke the idol to insult the Hindu god Ganesha.
Police from Nizamabad arrested the shopkeeper, who was reportedly released on bail on 25 August.
Karnataka – Hindu ultranationalists of the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (RSS) thrashed students of the Full Gospel Church on 21 August in Davangere, Karnataka.
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said six female and 12 male students were on a picnic when a person approached them and began questioning them.
A mob of around 50 RSS nationalists arrived on bicycles, motorbikes and cars and began hitting and kicking the students, swearing at and insulting them, and accusing them of forcible conversion, Dr George said.
The nationalists dragged students identified only as Parasuram, Ramesh, Vani Jyothi, Pushpa, Vijay, Shilpa, Prasan, Nirmala and Chandra, to the Vidyanagara police station and filed a complaint of forcible conversion against them.
Police initially told reporters the students were arrested but later said they were held "for keeping peace" and released on 27August.
"The case against the students was officially closed," a police official told reporters.
Karnataka – On 19 August, about 50 people beat some of the 30 people worshipping at Indian Pentecostal Church of God in Jakkur, Bangalore in Karnataka state.
Entering the facility where congregants were worshipping at 11:30am and bolting the doors shut behind them, the attackers beat four church members.
When church members managed to escape, the assailants chased them away, following them to a house. Then the attackers ran them from that place too.
"These attackers had warned us not to conduct worship service today," pastor Thomas Koshy told reporters.
"Even a week before, these people had attacked our meeting and nothing extreme took place. But this time they made it severe."
A member of the church filed a police complaint, but the assailants indicated they would seek another opportunity to beat the pastor.
The owner of the facility where the church worships has asked the pastor to vacate the hall.
Uttar Pradesh – On 15 August, about 30 Hindu ultranationalists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh beat two Christians from the Believers Church identified only as Pastor Santosh and Bible student Babu Lal, in Mohanlalganj area of Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh.
The two Christians, attacked while they were distributing literature, were hospitalised with head, chest and stomach injuries.
The Christian Legal Association (CLA) said that initially the Mohanlalganj police station refused to register a complaint against the attackers, and police filed a First Information Report only after the CLA intervened.
Police officials told a CLA solicitor, "Why can't these Christians sit at home peacefully on 15 August [India's Independence Day]? Why are they forcing people to read their tracts?"
No arrests had been made at press-time.
Karnataka – Hindu ultranationalists threw stones at Kalwari Prayer Centre in Ganeshpur, a suburban area of Belgaum, Karnataka, causing damage to the prayer hall, house and nursery late at night on 15 August, according to the Deccan Herald News Service (DHNS).
Pastor Sajan Philips told reporters that at 11:30pm about a dozen youths threw stones at the centre for about half an hour, "damaging the cement sheets of the roof and breaking all the windows and the portico of the church."
Pastor Phillips filed a police complaint, but at press-time no one had been arrested.
Police suspect the stoning might have taken place as the result of evangelisation activities in the area, the DHNS reported.
The centre was attacked twice in 2005.
Rajasthan – Hindu ultranationalists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh stormed the showing of a film about Jesus Christ, "Daya Sagar" ("Ocean of Mercy") on 7 August and forced Believers Church workers to stop the screening it in Vardha village in Rajasthan state's Dungarpur district.
The nationalists called local police and accused the Christians of converting Hindu villagers, the Christian Legal Association said in a statement.
Police promptly arrived and detained four Christians – and Akash Kumar,
Shantilal Kalasua, pastor Ruplal Nathat and pastor Iswarlal Kasota – and allegedly beat the Christians.
They also confiscated film equipment.
About 20 villagers were watching the film when the nationalists arrived.
The four Christians were released the following day.
Police relinquished the equipment on 13 August and apologised to the Christians.
Karnataka – On 5 August, Hindu ultranationalists from the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh disrupted and stopped a Christian prayer meeting for the dedication of a Seventh Day Adventist Prayer Hall in Sira town, Karnataka.
Dr Sajan K George of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said that subsequently, on 16 August, police summoned the president of the Seventh Day Adventist church, Peter Alamane, along with secretary A J Devadas, pastor Leonard Anthony, and pastors identified only as P John and Lazarus, to the local police station.
After questioning, the pastors were taken to the magistrate, Dr George said.
Pastor Emmanuel Magimaidass told reporters, "One of the nationalists had filed a First Information Report against us [Seventh Day Adventists] accusing us of alleged forcible conversions."
The pastors were arrested and charged with 'hurting religious sentiments'.
The GCIC secured their release on bail on 18 August.
Chhattisgarh – The governor of Chhattisgarh has objected to excessive government control and a religious double standard in a state 'anti-conversion' amendment bill proposed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Chhattisgarh Gov Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narsimhan raised objections to two provisions: obtaining permission from the district collector (administrative head) before any conversion, and 'allowing people to return to Hinduism and not treating this as conversion', reported news agency Press Trust of India on 22 August.
Gov Narsimhan has reportedly referred the bill to the state law department for assessment.
Such 'anti-conversion' laws are used to levy spurious accusations at Christians of 'forced conversion'.
Similar bills introduced by the BJP are facing obstacles in three other states: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
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