INDIA: NEWS BRIEFS
Recent Incidents of Persecution
Karnataka, August 17 :– Hindu extremists allegedly belonging to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) on India's Independence Day (August 15) barged into a church in Karnataka, disrupting worship and forcibly taking believers to police. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said about 20 extremists shouted insults and accusations at the 70 congregants of the Full Gospel Church, Taluka Mysore district, before marching four of them to the Nanjengode police station. Calling Christianity a foreign faith as they entered the church, the Hindu extremists walked up to the dais and slapped pastor Vinod Chacko, 32, and then punched him on the head and back, said George. They then dragged Chacko and an assistant pastor, C.T. Joseph, along with two other congregants, to the local police station and made a verbal complaint against them. Police Inspector Lakshimkant Talwar told news "We held a brief enquiry about the details of the complaint and have called Pastor Chacko to the police station on Saturday, August 18, to conduct an investigation and ascertain whether the charges made against the pastor are true or false."
Karnataka – Hindu extremists allegedly belonging to the Ram Sena (Army of Lord Ram) on August 9 beat independent pastor Victor Paul and filed a complaint of forced conversion against him in Bijapur district, Karnataka. Dr. Sajan George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said Pastor Paul, 46, of Rehoboth House of Worship, and his wife Glory Shanti were distributing gospel tracts at houses in the Jala Nagar area of Bijapur district. Ashok Halleppagol, owner of a grocery store, invited the couple inside his home, he said. Pastor Paul told news, "As we were speaking about the tracts, a group of Ram Sena activists entered Halleppagol's house and angrily questioned our presence there. The activists snatched the tracts from my hand, abused me and began punching and slapping me on my face and head." They then dragged the pastor and his wife out of Halleppagol's house and shoved them into a motorized rickshaw, took them to the local police station, and filed false charges of forcible conversion against the pastor and his wife, he said. Sub-inspector of Police Deve Singh told news that Pastor Paul and Shanti have been arrested and charged with hurting religious sentiments under the Indian Penal Code. The couple was released on bail on August 10.
Chhattisgarh – About 50 Hindu extremists disrupted the Sunday worship service of a church and attacked the pastor and an elder on August 5 in Chhattisgarh state. The Christian Legal Association (CLA) reported that in Baba Deep Singh Nagar in Bhilai city, Durg district, a mob led by Rajesh Thabre and Sudeep Banerjee, allegedly from the Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, beat with sti
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