20 Indian Christians hurt in attack on prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh

Twenty Christians have been injured in an assault on a prayer meeting in India's Uttar Pradesh state, according to International Christian Concern.

Local reports say 35 Hindu radicals stormed a prayer meeting in Raikashipur village as more than 150 Christians met for prayer.

The attack took place on July 2, according to ICC, when the mob arrived at the prayer meeting in several vehicles and beat the participants with sticks. They also fired a gun into the air.

As well as injuring people they destroyed furniture and musical instruments.

Ram Kumar Gautam (42) has led the village prayer meetings in a makeshift shed for the last five years and told ICC that on average around 300 people participate.

'I didn't sleep or eat properly for nearly a week now,' he said. 'The attack on our prayer meeting last Monday has had devastating consequences. Many have serious injuries with their limbs being broken. Also, a false case was booked against six of us under stringent IPC [Indian Penal Code] sections.'

The charges relate to riot and assault, and to 'Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.'

Gautam said: 'We peacefully conduct prayers every Monday and people voluntarily attend these prayers. We don't even talk about conversions, but I am accused of converting people. People come to our prayer and get healing. That's why people choose to regularly attend the prayers.'

William Stark, ICC's regional manager, said: 'Article 25 of India's constitution says that every individual has the right to freely profess, practise and propagate the religion of their choice. For more than 150 Christians, this right was violated last Monday when Hindu radicals assaulted them for merely practising their faith.

'India's authorities must bring these 35 Hindu radicals in Raikashipur to justice. Until then, India's religious freedom rights will remain only words on paper and attacks on Christians and other religious minorities will continue to rise in both number and severity.'

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Christians discriminated, beaten up and hospitalized in Chhattisgarh

10 Christians were attacked and beaten mercilessly by a mob of 200 plus people in village Sirsiguda, Bastar District in Chhattisgarh state of India on 16^th June 2014.

The village has a long track record of discrimination against Christians and the attack was a retaliation to the complaint raised by the Christian community to that effect.

Eight men and two women, mostly from the Believers Church were beaten up including the Pastor, Ramdhar Mandavi. The beating was so severe that all of the Christians had to seek urgent medical help. One Christian Aitu Mandavi is still admitted in the nearby Jagdalpur hospital with serious injuries in the back and the head.

For some months the Christians in the village (50 plus families) had been denied ration from the government ration shop at the orders of the Sarpanch (Village council head). The Christians then approached the district food inspector and asked him to intervene and according to reports received, he and his colleague did speak to the village head and to the other villagers, which caused anger and a backlash against Christians.  The food inspector and his colleague were chased away from the village and the fundamentalist Hindus registered a false complaint in the local police station of Badanji, accusing Christians of beating up Hindus. The beating of the Christians followed this accusation and the ten were seriously injured.

The Christians had to wait for hours together before their complaint was entertained in the local police station on 18^th June 2014. Even medical facilities were denied initially to the injured Christians.

“At the moment one Christian, Aitu Mandavi, is still admitted in the hospital while the rest have been discharged even without proper treatment,” said a local Christian leader while speaking to us. 

It is reported that the women were also misbehaved with and beaten up. 

The pew research forum in its report on religious hostility ranks India on very top as far as social restrictions to religion is concerned and this is a stark example of that fact, where social restriction and backlash is provided protection and sanction by the authorities (in this case the village council head).