Christian leaders in India are demanding action be taken against a mob of 200 radical Hindu nationalists who left a church damaged and at least three Christian women seriously injured in an attack in India's northern state of Uttarakhand. The attackers accused the church of "illegally" converting people to Christianity. The Union of Catholic Asian News reports that a police complaint indicates that the mob attacked the church on Oct. 3 in Roorkee city's Solanipuram Colony and comprised members of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party and radical Hindu nationalist groups associated with the party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. As the service was about to begin, the mob reportedly barged into the church, thrashed the congregants and vandalized church properties, injuring at least three Christian women who were taken to a hospital in Dehradun city. Video footage of the damage caused by the attack was posted on social media. The attackers claimed the church was engaged in illegal conversion activities. The police complaint acknowledges that 200 people attacked the church, but no one was initially reported to have been arrested. However, a case has been filed against the perpetrators. "We demand strict action against them and police protection for us," Prio Sadhana Lanse, a leader in

A senior police official said that over 59 people have been detained and the videos of the incidents are being checked to identify the miscreants. October 6, 2021: More than a dozen injured in Kawardha town, on Tuesday.An altercation over two flags, one saffron and the other green, developed into 48 hours of communal tensions, and finally burst forth in vandalism and extensive damage to property in Chhattisgarh’s Kabirdham district on Tuesday (October 5). An estimated 3,000-strong mob led by Hindu organisations defied a curfew imposed by the administration to march with swords, lathis, and other weapons in the district headquarters town of Kawardha. They raised slogans of Jai Shri Ram, attacked homes and vehicles owned by Muslims, and pelted the police with stones. More than a dozen civilians and police personnel were injured in the violence. These flags were pulled down by rival groups on Sunday. Police carried out a lathicharge to bring the situation under control by early evening. The town remained under curfew on Wednesday as well. The Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad had called for a “peaceful” protest on Tuesday, which went out of control early on. After leaders from the opposition BJP, including former MLA Abhishek Singh, who is the

THREE WOMEN SUFFERED INJURIES WHILE ATTACKERS DESTROYED CHURCH PROPERTY BEFORE A SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE IN THE NORTHERN INDIAN STATE OF UTTARAKHAND Christian leaders in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand have demanded strict action against members of a 200-strong mob that attacked a church and injured the faithful in Haridwar district’s Roorkee town. The Christians were about to begin the Sunday morning prayer service on Oct. 3 when the slogan-shouting mob barged in and started abusing and thrashing them alleging religious conversion activities were being conducted inside the church located in Solanipuram locality. The attackers were identified as members of the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal in the first information report filed by Prio Sadhana Lanse, a leader of the church. She said three women sustained serious injuries and had to be rushed to a hospital in the state capital, Dehradun, while the men armed with iron rods also destroyed furniture, musical instruments and photographs inside the church. Lanse said she could recognize many from the mob as they kept threatening her to shut down the church. “We demand strict action against them and police protection for us,” she said. The police have registered a case against members of

Read the story in The Wire here A SENIOR POLICE OFFICER TOLD THE WIRE THAT THE FIR AGAINST THE VICTIMS APPEARS TO BE DUBIOUS. THE VICTIMS SAY IT IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED, GIVEN THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS. Dehradun: A day after the violent attack by a mob of over 200 people on people praying in a Roorkee church, not only have the Uttarakhand Police made no arrests but – much to the disbelief of Prio Sadhana Lance, who manages the church – they have also registered a case against her and nine others for threatening and attacking another woman, identified as Kavita. On Monday, Solanipuram colony where the church is located saw the deployment of a large contingent of police personnel and no one was allowed to enter the church. Residents of the neighbourhood preferred to stay away from journalists who arrived at the scene. “It seems that the Uttarakhand Police is under pressure because no arrests have been made in our case and, on the contrary, the police have registered an FIR against us, which is politically motivated,” said Lance, who lives near the church with her two daughters. Two policemen have been deployed at their house. A DIG-rank police officer told The Wire that the

Lakhimpur Kheri violence: Minister Ajay Mishra has denied that his son, Ashish Mishra, was linked to the violence. October 04, 2021 - Uttar Pradesh, Lakhimpur-Kheri Violence: Minister Ajay Mishra has denied that his son was linked to the violence. Lucknow: A murder case has been filed against Union Minister of State Ajay Kumar Mishra's son for allegedly running a car over protesting farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri. Opposition leaders have been barred from visiting the area. Here are the top 10 developments on this big story: 1. The violence erupted as a group of protesting farmers in Tikonia area of Kheri tried to block Union Minister Ajay Kumar Mishra and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya from visiting. The protesters were upset over a recent speech by Mr Mishra. 2. The farmers claimed the violence broke out after a car in the minister's convoy ran over protesters. Visuals from the area showed arson and vehicles set on fire. Eight people, including four farmers, were killed in the incident. 3. A retired High Court judge will now probe the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced. The state government has also announced that it will pay a compensation of ₹ 45 lakh and

October 3, 2021: Over 200 unidentified men and women, allegedly belonging to local right-wing groups, vandalized a church in Roorkee on Sunday, October 3, injuring several people who had assembled for morning prayers. According to the FIR registered by Prio Sadhana Lanse, the church pastor’s wife, over 200 men and women belonging to the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and Bharatiya Janata Party’s youth wing, barged into the church and started vandalising it, while beating the churchgoers. At around 10 am, the mob, armed with iron roads, destroyed chairs, tables, musical instruments and photographs that were in the church. Speaking to The Wire over the phone, Lanse said that the attackers went on a rampage and smashed everything that came in their way. “The frenzied mob, shouting slogans like ‘Vande mataram’ and ‘Bharat mata ki jai’, barged into the church, which is on the first floor of the building,” Lanse said. “They started beating our volunteers and the women attackers bashed up our womenfolk.” The vandalism went on for over 40 minutes and Rajat, a church volunteer, suffered serious head injuries. He has been shifted to a Dehradun government hospital where his condition is stated to be critical. Lanse also alleged that the women

Hindu activists disrupt the ceremony after claiming the Hindu bride was converted to ChristianityPolice have launched an investigation into the marriage of a Protestant couple after Hindu activists claimed the bride was a Hindu converted to Christianity in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Hindu extremists barged into the marriage reception in Indore town on Sept. 29 evening and disrupted the function. Even though the families of both bride and groom denied the allegations, the ruckus led to the police being summoned.“The couple and their family members were taken to the police station. The allegations of the Hindu activists were found to be false and they were let off,” Pastor Patras Savil, who is based in Indore, told UCA News on Sept. 30. “The newly wedded couple are Christians and their marriage reception was disturbed based on a false allegation of religious conversion.” No one from either family spoke to the media about the incident, apparently out of shock and fear. Police have started a probe into the marriage based on a complaint from an office bearer of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajarang Dal, right-wing Hindu organizations opposed to Christians and their charitable work. “It is very sad that Christians are simply targeted for their

Police arrested Rev Charlie John on charges of forced conversion aggravated by monetary inducement. For the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians, the “persecution of minority Christians must stop.” New Delhi (AsiaNews) – Last Tuesday evening, police in Rampur, a city of Himachal Pradesh (northern India), arrested a Pentecostal clergyman, Rev Charlie John, on charges of forced conversion using money to induce people to convert. The pastor was reportedly handing out Gospel booklets and Bibles in the village of Lalas when a group of extremists went up to him, ordering him to stop. In addition to Rev John, two brothers, Vishal and Keval Ram were also arrested on charges of forced conversion. When questioned, they rejected the accusations, reiterating their innocence. “I only offered the Bible, and I gave it to those who freely accept the Good News,” Rev John said. “If anyone refused, I didn't insist. We did not convert anyone; I'm even willing to offer the Bible, which is God's Word, even to the police. “What we do is share the Good News with people, tell them about Jesus, without forcing anyone to convert. The accusations made against me are totally false; I have never offered money for the conversion of

Officer manhandled in attack in Chhattisgarh state. NEW DELHI (Morning Star News) – A Hindu nationalist mob this month beat three pastors and manhandled an officer at a police station in the capital of central India’s Chhattisgarh state, sources said. Police disrupted the worship of New Life Fellowship Ministry in Raipur on Sept. 5 and summoned pastor Harish Sahu to the Purani Basti police station. The officers arrived in a police van with eight to 10 Hindu nationalists, Pastor Sahu said. “I was conducting the worship when they arrived,” Pastor Sahu told Morning Star News. “The policemen asked me what I was doing, and I said that I was sharing the Word of God from the Holy Book.” The Hindu extremists in the police van tried to enter the church building, he said. “The Hindu mob tried to enter the church while I was preaching, and I saw that the police blocked the entrance of the door and refused to let them in,” he said. “Then a police officer entered the church, filmed the service for few minutes, clicked some pictures and went outside and showed the video and pictures to the extremists.” Police told Pastor Sahu to come to the police station, and he said