(Source: http://www.opendoorsuk.org.uk/news/news_recent.php)
30/01/07 | INDIA – Christian prayer meeting attacked
Believers hospitalised, Bihar town tense. Full Story...
Tension gripped a Bihar town after a Christian prayer meeting was attacked by suspected Bajrang Dal activists, injuring several people.
According to police, a group of armed men attacked the 28 January meeting at a Christian mission in Sasaram in Rohtas district, 200 km from Patna.
They beat up believers, tore down posters and burnt books and leaflets.
The injured were immediately admitted to hospital.
Complaints have been filed against nine Bajrang Dal activists.
Witness said that about 40 masked men attacked the prayer meeting and warned believers against holding similar weekly meetings, according to K K Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sasaram).
"The attackers shouted slogans against the conversion of Hindus to Christianity," he added.
Bajrang Dal leaders in the district were apparently unhappy over the mission converting many Dalits. In the last two months, nearly 50 Dalit families have reportedly converted to Christianity.
Indo-Asian News | Easy print
17/01/07 | INDIA – 'Disappearance' of orphan children alleged
State blocks kids' return, then serves notice on mission. Full Story...
After Rajasthan state officials turned away hundreds of children returning to an orphanage run by Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) last year, the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has formed a committee to investigate EMI for the alleged 'disappearance' of children.
EMI attorney Mohammad Akram said the state Social Welfare Department first served notice to EMI on 5 December, saying a committee had been formed to look into the disappearance of children at the orphanage after the number of residents fell from more than 1,700 to only 435.
Mr Akram explained that most of the children had left in March 2006 in order to spend the summer holiday in their villages. Only 435 children remained in the orphanage.
"When the other children returned, department officials refused to accept them back," Akram explained.
District authorities told the children they needed government permission to stay at the orphanage.
"Since they were all from poor backgrounds, they did not dare approach the authorities and consequently went back to their villages," Mr Akram said.
"In fact, some of them who had nowhere to go have now become rag-pickers."
The BJP helped launch a campaign against EMI in January 2006. On 10 January, the state Social Welfare Department served notice to EMI for the third time in a month, asking it to promptly furnish details about the children at its Hope Centre Orphanage in Raipura, Kota district.
The department asked for EMI's registration number, the names of its members and a list of children registered at the orphanage, along with names, addresses and contact information.
It gave EMI less than 24 hours to comply.
The notice also sought an explanation as to why a large number of children had left the orphanage and where they had gone, even asking which airlines they had used were they to have left the country.
"EMI replied to the notice on 5 December, saying it needed at least 20 days to provide the details," Mr Akram told reporters.
The department sent another notice on 22 December 2006, saying the details must be submitted by 25 December.
"However by this time we had realised that some documents, seemingly taken away by department officials who were deployed at the orphanage last year, were missing," Mr Akram said.
EMI wrote to the department on 26 December 2006 asking it to return the missing documents so that requested paperwork could be completed. The department however denied taking any documents from the orphanage.
Smear campaign
The department sent officials to the orphanage after the state High Court dismissed five petitions filed by EMI on 13 June 2006.
EMI filed the petitions after the Kota Registrar of Societies revoked the registration of five EMI institutions on 20 February 2006 and froze their bank accounts, claiming infringements of society regulations.
Social Welfare officials remained at the orphanage until the high court ordered them to leave on 8 August 2006.
EMI operates the Emmanuel Bible Institute Samiti, Emmanuel Anath Ashram (orphanage), Emmanuel School Society, Emmanuel Chikitsalaya (hospital) Samiti, and Emmanuel Believers Fellowship. The organisation also leads an indigenous church movement and serves over 10,000 children through humanitarian and educational work.
Mr Akram said it was "extremely unfortunate" that the department had targeted the Rev Dr Samuel Thomas, president of EMI and the son of Archbishop M A Thomas, EMI's founder, who "are selflessly serving the poor and the downtrodden".
"As a result, many destitute children are suffering," he said.
Tensions in Kota began on 25 January 2006 when Archbishop Thomas and his son received anonymous death threats warning them not to hold an annual graduation ceremony for hundreds of orphans and Dalit Christian students, scheduled for 25 February.
The Rajasthan state police then arrested Rev Dr Samuel Thomas on 16 March 2006 for allegedly distributing the book Haqeekat (The Truth), which supposedly denigrated the Hindu faith.
The police had earlier arrested several other EMI leaders in connection with the book.
In March 2006, a delegation from the All India Christian Council submitted a report to India's prime minister concluding that the ruling BJP party had encouraged state authorities to harass Christians, including EMI staff.
The report named Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilawar as a key figure in the campaign against EMI.
Rev Dr Thomas was released on bail on 2 May 2006, while his father remained underground until the state High Court granted anticipatory bail for him on 7 August 2006.
Compass | Easy print
16/01/07 | INDIA – Christian weds despite Hindu protests
Groom accused of 'luring' animist bride with money. Full Story...
An Indian couple whose marriage was postponed three times due to protests from a Hindu nationalist group finally married on Thursday 11 January in Jabalpur.
Peter Abraham, aged 38, and Meena Gond, 36, first applied for permission to marry at the Jabalpur district marriage office in October 2006.
The Special Marriages Act requires the office to invite objections after a couple applies to register a marriage.
Objections must be filed during a mandatory 40-day notice period.
When the 40 days had expired last November, Jabalpur marriage officer Deepak Singh refused to register the marriage, saying he had received objections from a member of the Hindu nationalist group Dharma Sena.
"Peter is a Christian – we suspect he has lured this innocent tribal girl by offering her money," Sudhir Aggarwal, Dharma Sena convener in the Mahakaushal region told local reporters.
"Meena will later be forced to change her religion."
Meena is an animist. The couple met through relatives and developed a liking for each other that superseded their religious differences.
Ceremony postponed
The marriage registrar asked Abraham and Gond to appear before him on 20 December. To the couple's dismay however the office then postponed the wedding ceremony as investigations into Mr Aggarwal's complaint were still underway.
A second date was set for 4 January. On that day, however, a mob of about 65 to 70 Dharma Sena members waving saffron flags surrounded the registrar's office.
"In spite of the bride being crippled from polio, the couple had to flee the mob," a local source said.
Mr Singh, the marriage officer, denied any miscarriage of justice.
"Since I received two objections, we had to investigate the matter," he told reporters.
"On 8 January, once the complaints were found to be baseless, we gave the couple permission to marry. They fixed their date for 11 January and after recording their statements, the marriage certificate was issued."
Mr Singh also denied any involvement of the Dharma Sena in the repeated postponement of the marriage.
Baseless accusations
Meena's brother, Radhey Gond, strongly objected to Aggarwal's charge of Christian missionaries encouraging people such as Peter Abraham to convert poor tribal people.
" Peter has been a daily wage earner for years. How can a poor rickshaw-puller bribe a woman if he has no money?" he asked.
He said he was touched by Peter's decision to marry his sister: "She can barely walk," he said. "We had all along thought nobody would marry her."
John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council, told reporters that Mr Aggarwal and others had no legal grounds for their complaint:
"They are in fact committing a crime by physically, socially or psychologically injuring any partner by way of assault, boycott or social marginalisation," he said.
Indira Iyenger, president of the joint Madhya Pradesh-Chattisgarh Christian Forum, agreed: "This is another attempt of Hindu nationalists to harass the Christian community," she opined.
"Peter and Meena are consenting adults, and it is their fundamental right to marry."
Marriage incentives
Moreover, Iyenger added, if anyone could be accused of offering financial inducements, it was the Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party government, which has offered a cash incentive of 50,000 rupees (£575) to any non-tribal person who would marry someone from a tribal background.
Tribal Welfare Commissioner K K Singh admitted that the state had offered this incentive but said he was "not sure" if it applied to Christians and Muslims.
"The broad objective of the scheme is to end social discrimination and untouchability among Hindu castes," Mr Singh argued. "How can religions that do not have untouchability be eligible for this incentive?"
Jabalpur Congress Party chief Naresh Saraf however told the Telegraph the scheme's provisions made no reference to religion.
Compass | Easy print
11/01/07 | INDIA – Hindu nationalists beat four pastors
Youth: "Christ shed his blood – now you do the same". Full Story...
Seven youths beat Pastor Robert Kennedy of Bangalore in Karnataka state on Sunday 7 January, after asking him to "pray for a sick friend".
he pastor required 16 stitches to his head and back after the assault.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, Hindu extremists beat two pastors on 6 and 7 January, and another on 28 December, after warning them to cease Christian activities in their villages.
Pastor Kennedy and the small congregation of Jesus Preeti Church had gathered for worship on Sunday morning when seven young men entered the house church and sat down.
They talked amongst themselves, and one of them made calls on his mobile phone as Kennedy preached.
At about 12:30pm, when the service had ended and the believers had left, the youths approached Kennedy and asked him to accompany them to the home of a sick friend who needed prayer.
Since the house was supposedly nearby, Kennedy asked some of the young men to bring the patient to the church for prayer.
As three in the group made their way towards the front door, the others turned on the pastor and beat him severely.
"Suddenly all four attacked me, slapping my face, back and chest," Pastor Kennedy reported.
"One of them grabbed the microphone stand and struck me across the back, causing a deep gash, and blood began flowing out."
The three who had not yet left the church came back and slapped the pastor, who had fallen to the floor. They then struck him with the circular base of the microphone stand, causing severe bleeding.
"They said to me, 'You were telling everyone that Christ shed his blood – now you do the same,'" Kennedy added.
The youths also beat a church member identified only as Rajendran, who happened to return to the church.
Kennedy believed his assailants were members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or some other Hindu nationalist group, as "they were mocking the teachings of Christ".
Ten minutes after the assault began, the youths left. Rajendran called for assistance from other church members and Pastor Kennedy was taken to a nearby clinic, where he received 13 stitches to his back and three stitches to his head.
Pastor Kennedy later filed an official complaint at the Rajgopal police station.
At press time no arrests had been made.
Assaults in Andhra Pradesh
Also on Sunday 7 January, Hindu extremists at about 8:30pm severely beat Pastor Narsimullu Jacob of Vanasthalipuran village, Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh state.
The nationalists had warned Narsimullu that morning to cease holding worship services and conducting evangelism in the area.
A day earlier, 34-year old Pastor Malaiya Gabriel was returning home from a weekly catechism class when a group of nine men approached him and warned him to stop 'indoctrinating' the village children with stories about Christ.
Gabriel, who converted from Hinduism two years ago, lives in Shivalingam village in Nizamabad district.
Lionel Francis, coordinator of the Global Council of Indian Christians, said the men threatened Gabriel with dire consequences if he continued his missionary activities.
That evening (6 January) at around 8:30pm, Pastor Gabriel was returning from a visit to another Christian's home when a mob of around 50 people thrashed him with wooden clubs and batons.
"They threatened to kill him if he did not stop evangelising," Francis said.
Gabriel was taken to a hospital for treatment.
"There is a worrying pattern of behaviour in the activities of the RSS in Telangana," Francis told reporters.
"First they issue a warning, and later the mob attacks."
On 28 December, Hindu nationalists beat Pastor Pawan Kumar, an independent pastor ministering near Bodhan, Telangana. The extremists entered the home of local believer Issac Raju and beat some 14 Christians, burning their Bibles and sound system.
Extremists had warned Pawan earlier that day to cease his Christian activities.
"The RSS and the Bajrang Dal have become much bolder in their attacks on Christians in Telengana," Mr Francis said.
"Even though we have filed complaints, no arrests have been made in relation to these attacks."
Compass | Easy print
08/01/07 | INDIA – Anti-Christian attacks mark New Year
Nationalists beat believers, damage cars, stage protest. Full Story...
Victims received internal injuries from a savage beating by Hindu nationalists
After launching several anti-Christian attacks during the last week of 2006, Hindu nationalists went on to beat more Christians, vandalise vehicles and organise a protest rally against a church, dampening New Year celebrations.
Extremists beat four pastors and vandalised a vehicle in the north central state of Uttar Pradesh state on 2 January.
They attacked two more Christians and damaged another vehicle in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state, whilst on the same day others staged an anti-Christian rally in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
At midday on 2 January, around 200 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council), attacked four pastors of the Brethren Assembly church in Indrapuram, near Delhi, Uttar Pradesh.
The victims, identified as Samuel John, George Thomas, Abraham George and V P Paulouse, received internal injuries.
"We were attacked while we were distributing tracts on God's love to the local residents," George reported.
He said the attackers accused the pastors of offering money to Hindus for their conversion to Christianity, an allegation he denies.
The nationalists also badly damaged a car belonging to Pastor Paulouse.
After the attack, the mob dragged the Christians to the local police station. Officers kept the injured Christians in the police station for more than four hours but did not register the nationalists' complaint of 'forced conversions'.
Police also refused to file an incident report on behalf of the Christians.
The All India Christian Council (AICC) offered assistance in lodging an official complaint, but the pastors said they preferred not to press charges. "We are Christians, and we believe in forgiveness," George said.
Dr John Dayal, secretary general of the AICC, condemned the attack: "The fact that Christians can be attacked in the National Capital Region (NCR) reflects how insecure we are in this country," he assessed.
The NCR includes Delhi and neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon.
Madhya Pradesh attack
The same day, extremists of the Dharma Sena (Religious Army) beat two Christians in Devera village in the Singroli area of Madhya Pradesh.
The Rev Madhu Chandra of the AICC reports local Christians Shyam Sunder and Ram Deen received injuries in the chest and legs.
He said the attack took place when nine Christians – guests of Nahum Das, a local Christian belonging to an independent church – were visiting Tez Bali, a believer in Devera village.
When the Christians were in Mr Bali's house, local residents told them that violent Hindu nationalists were approaching to launch an attack. Hearing the news, Mr Bali hid the nine guests in a room and locked it from the outside.
The nationalists, however, damaged the boundary wall and broke into the house. They also broke the lock of the room where the Christians were hiding and beat Mr Sunder and Mr Deen.
They also vandalised a car belonging to Mr Das in which the Christian visitors were travelling.
When Mr Das was informed about the attack, he called the police, who rescued the Christian visitors.
The police reluctantly registered a complaint against the attackers after the intervention of a government official.
"To justify their attack, the extremists lodged a counter-complaint against the Christians accusing them of conversions," a representative of the Christian Legal Association of India told journalists.
Police registered a case against the victims for 'disturbing religious harmony' under the Indian Penal code and for 'indulging in conversions' under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
Police had not arrested anyone at press time and were investigating the complaints.
Anti-Christian rally
Also on 2 January, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a protest rally against the construction of a building by the Good Shepherd Community Church (GSCC) in Rodham, Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
According to an AICC report, a leader of the RSS, identified only as Giri, and a BJP leader, Lokesh Gupta, gathered about 200 people raising objections to the GSCC's plan to construct a church near a Hindu temple.
The crowd also accused the church of converting Hindus in the area.
Hindu nationalists had on Christmas Eve burnt down a church, arrested carol-singers and disrupted yuletide services in several states.
Compass | Easy print
30/01/07 | INDIA – Christian prayer meeting attacked
Believers hospitalised, Bihar town tense. Full Story...
Tension gripped a Bihar town after a Christian prayer meeting was attacked by suspected Bajrang Dal activists, injuring several people.
According to police, a group of armed men attacked the 28 January meeting at a Christian mission in Sasaram in Rohtas district, 200 km from Patna.
They beat up believers, tore down posters and burnt books and leaflets.
The injured were immediately admitted to hospital.
Complaints have been filed against nine Bajrang Dal activists.
Witness said that about 40 masked men attacked the prayer meeting and warned believers against holding similar weekly meetings, according to K K Sharma, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Sasaram).
"The attackers shouted slogans against the conversion of Hindus to Christianity," he added.
Bajrang Dal leaders in the district were apparently unhappy over the mission converting many Dalits. In the last two months, nearly 50 Dalit families have reportedly converted to Christianity.
Indo-Asian News | Easy print
17/01/07 | INDIA – 'Disappearance' of orphan children alleged
State blocks kids' return, then serves notice on mission. Full Story...
After Rajasthan state officials turned away hundreds of children returning to an orphanage run by Emmanuel Mission International (EMI) last year, the state's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has formed a committee to investigate EMI for the alleged 'disappearance' of children.
EMI attorney Mohammad Akram said the state Social Welfare Department first served notice to EMI on 5 December, saying a committee had been formed to look into the disappearance of children at the orphanage after the number of residents fell from more than 1,700 to only 435.
Mr Akram explained that most of the children had left in March 2006 in order to spend the summer holiday in their villages. Only 435 children remained in the orphanage.
"When the other children returned, department officials refused to accept them back," Akram explained.
District authorities told the children they needed government permission to stay at the orphanage.
"Since they were all from poor backgrounds, they did not dare approach the authorities and consequently went back to their villages," Mr Akram said.
"In fact, some of them who had nowhere to go have now become rag-pickers."
The BJP helped launch a campaign against EMI in January 2006. On 10 January, the state Social Welfare Department served notice to EMI for the third time in a month, asking it to promptly furnish details about the children at its Hope Centre Orphanage in Raipura, Kota district.
The department asked for EMI's registration number, the names of its members and a list of children registered at the orphanage, along with names, addresses and contact information.
It gave EMI less than 24 hours to comply.
The notice also sought an explanation as to why a large number of children had left the orphanage and where they had gone, even asking which airlines they had used were they to have left the country.
"EMI replied to the notice on 5 December, saying it needed at least 20 days to provide the details," Mr Akram told reporters.
The department sent another notice on 22 December 2006, saying the details must be submitted by 25 December.
"However by this time we had realised that some documents, seemingly taken away by department officials who were deployed at the orphanage last year, were missing," Mr Akram said.
EMI wrote to the department on 26 December 2006 asking it to return the missing documents so that requested paperwork could be completed. The department however denied taking any documents from the orphanage.
Smear campaign
The department sent officials to the orphanage after the state High Court dismissed five petitions filed by EMI on 13 June 2006.
EMI filed the petitions after the Kota Registrar of Societies revoked the registration of five EMI institutions on 20 February 2006 and froze their bank accounts, claiming infringements of society regulations.
Social Welfare officials remained at the orphanage until the high court ordered them to leave on 8 August 2006.
EMI operates the Emmanuel Bible Institute Samiti, Emmanuel Anath Ashram (orphanage), Emmanuel School Society, Emmanuel Chikitsalaya (hospital) Samiti, and Emmanuel Believers Fellowship. The organisation also leads an indigenous church movement and serves over 10,000 children through humanitarian and educational work.
Mr Akram said it was "extremely unfortunate" that the department had targeted the Rev Dr Samuel Thomas, president of EMI and the son of Archbishop M A Thomas, EMI's founder, who "are selflessly serving the poor and the downtrodden".
"As a result, many destitute children are suffering," he said.
Tensions in Kota began on 25 January 2006 when Archbishop Thomas and his son received anonymous death threats warning them not to hold an annual graduation ceremony for hundreds of orphans and Dalit Christian students, scheduled for 25 February.
The Rajasthan state police then arrested Rev Dr Samuel Thomas on 16 March 2006 for allegedly distributing the book Haqeekat (The Truth), which supposedly denigrated the Hindu faith.
The police had earlier arrested several other EMI leaders in connection with the book.
In March 2006, a delegation from the All India Christian Council submitted a report to India's prime minister concluding that the ruling BJP party had encouraged state authorities to harass Christians, including EMI staff.
The report named Social Welfare Minister Madan Dilawar as a key figure in the campaign against EMI.
Rev Dr Thomas was released on bail on 2 May 2006, while his father remained underground until the state High Court granted anticipatory bail for him on 7 August 2006.
Compass | Easy print
16/01/07 | INDIA – Christian weds despite Hindu protests
Groom accused of 'luring' animist bride with money. Full Story...
An Indian couple whose marriage was postponed three times due to protests from a Hindu nationalist group finally married on Thursday 11 January in Jabalpur.
Peter Abraham, aged 38, and Meena Gond, 36, first applied for permission to marry at the Jabalpur district marriage office in October 2006.
The Special Marriages Act requires the office to invite objections after a couple applies to register a marriage.
Objections must be filed during a mandatory 40-day notice period.
When the 40 days had expired last November, Jabalpur marriage officer Deepak Singh refused to register the marriage, saying he had received objections from a member of the Hindu nationalist group Dharma Sena.
"Peter is a Christian – we suspect he has lured this innocent tribal girl by offering her money," Sudhir Aggarwal, Dharma Sena convener in the Mahakaushal region told local reporters.
"Meena will later be forced to change her religion."
Meena is an animist. The couple met through relatives and developed a liking for each other that superseded their religious differences.
Ceremony postponed
The marriage registrar asked Abraham and Gond to appear before him on 20 December. To the couple's dismay however the office then postponed the wedding ceremony as investigations into Mr Aggarwal's complaint were still underway.
A second date was set for 4 January. On that day, however, a mob of about 65 to 70 Dharma Sena members waving saffron flags surrounded the registrar's office.
"In spite of the bride being crippled from polio, the couple had to flee the mob," a local source said.
Mr Singh, the marriage officer, denied any miscarriage of justice.
"Since I received two objections, we had to investigate the matter," he told reporters.
"On 8 January, once the complaints were found to be baseless, we gave the couple permission to marry. They fixed their date for 11 January and after recording their statements, the marriage certificate was issued."
Mr Singh also denied any involvement of the Dharma Sena in the repeated postponement of the marriage.
Baseless accusations
Meena's brother, Radhey Gond, strongly objected to Aggarwal's charge of Christian missionaries encouraging people such as Peter Abraham to convert poor tribal people.
" Peter has been a daily wage earner for years. How can a poor rickshaw-puller bribe a woman if he has no money?" he asked.
He said he was touched by Peter's decision to marry his sister: "She can barely walk," he said. "We had all along thought nobody would marry her."
John Dayal, secretary general of the All India Christian Council, told reporters that Mr Aggarwal and others had no legal grounds for their complaint:
"They are in fact committing a crime by physically, socially or psychologically injuring any partner by way of assault, boycott or social marginalisation," he said.
Indira Iyenger, president of the joint Madhya Pradesh-Chattisgarh Christian Forum, agreed: "This is another attempt of Hindu nationalists to harass the Christian community," she opined.
"Peter and Meena are consenting adults, and it is their fundamental right to marry."
Marriage incentives
Moreover, Iyenger added, if anyone could be accused of offering financial inducements, it was the Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party government, which has offered a cash incentive of 50,000 rupees (£575) to any non-tribal person who would marry someone from a tribal background.
Tribal Welfare Commissioner K K Singh admitted that the state had offered this incentive but said he was "not sure" if it applied to Christians and Muslims.
"The broad objective of the scheme is to end social discrimination and untouchability among Hindu castes," Mr Singh argued. "How can religions that do not have untouchability be eligible for this incentive?"
Jabalpur Congress Party chief Naresh Saraf however told the Telegraph the scheme's provisions made no reference to religion.
Compass | Easy print
11/01/07 | INDIA – Hindu nationalists beat four pastors
Youth: "Christ shed his blood – now you do the same". Full Story...
Seven youths beat Pastor Robert Kennedy of Bangalore in Karnataka state on Sunday 7 January, after asking him to "pray for a sick friend".
he pastor required 16 stitches to his head and back after the assault.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh state, Hindu extremists beat two pastors on 6 and 7 January, and another on 28 December, after warning them to cease Christian activities in their villages.
Pastor Kennedy and the small congregation of Jesus Preeti Church had gathered for worship on Sunday morning when seven young men entered the house church and sat down.
They talked amongst themselves, and one of them made calls on his mobile phone as Kennedy preached.
At about 12:30pm, when the service had ended and the believers had left, the youths approached Kennedy and asked him to accompany them to the home of a sick friend who needed prayer.
Since the house was supposedly nearby, Kennedy asked some of the young men to bring the patient to the church for prayer.
As three in the group made their way towards the front door, the others turned on the pastor and beat him severely.
"Suddenly all four attacked me, slapping my face, back and chest," Pastor Kennedy reported.
"One of them grabbed the microphone stand and struck me across the back, causing a deep gash, and blood began flowing out."
The three who had not yet left the church came back and slapped the pastor, who had fallen to the floor. They then struck him with the circular base of the microphone stand, causing severe bleeding.
"They said to me, 'You were telling everyone that Christ shed his blood – now you do the same,'" Kennedy added.
The youths also beat a church member identified only as Rajendran, who happened to return to the church.
Kennedy believed his assailants were members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or some other Hindu nationalist group, as "they were mocking the teachings of Christ".
Ten minutes after the assault began, the youths left. Rajendran called for assistance from other church members and Pastor Kennedy was taken to a nearby clinic, where he received 13 stitches to his back and three stitches to his head.
Pastor Kennedy later filed an official complaint at the Rajgopal police station.
At press time no arrests had been made.
Assaults in Andhra Pradesh
Also on Sunday 7 January, Hindu extremists at about 8:30pm severely beat Pastor Narsimullu Jacob of Vanasthalipuran village, Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh state.
The nationalists had warned Narsimullu that morning to cease holding worship services and conducting evangelism in the area.
A day earlier, 34-year old Pastor Malaiya Gabriel was returning home from a weekly catechism class when a group of nine men approached him and warned him to stop 'indoctrinating' the village children with stories about Christ.
Gabriel, who converted from Hinduism two years ago, lives in Shivalingam village in Nizamabad district.
Lionel Francis, coordinator of the Global Council of Indian Christians, said the men threatened Gabriel with dire consequences if he continued his missionary activities.
That evening (6 January) at around 8:30pm, Pastor Gabriel was returning from a visit to another Christian's home when a mob of around 50 people thrashed him with wooden clubs and batons.
"They threatened to kill him if he did not stop evangelising," Francis said.
Gabriel was taken to a hospital for treatment.
"There is a worrying pattern of behaviour in the activities of the RSS in Telangana," Francis told reporters.
"First they issue a warning, and later the mob attacks."
On 28 December, Hindu nationalists beat Pastor Pawan Kumar, an independent pastor ministering near Bodhan, Telangana. The extremists entered the home of local believer Issac Raju and beat some 14 Christians, burning their Bibles and sound system.
Extremists had warned Pawan earlier that day to cease his Christian activities.
"The RSS and the Bajrang Dal have become much bolder in their attacks on Christians in Telengana," Mr Francis said.
"Even though we have filed complaints, no arrests have been made in relation to these attacks."
Compass | Easy print
08/01/07 | INDIA – Anti-Christian attacks mark New Year
Nationalists beat believers, damage cars, stage protest. Full Story...
Victims received internal injuries from a savage beating by Hindu nationalists
After launching several anti-Christian attacks during the last week of 2006, Hindu nationalists went on to beat more Christians, vandalise vehicles and organise a protest rally against a church, dampening New Year celebrations.
Extremists beat four pastors and vandalised a vehicle in the north central state of Uttar Pradesh state on 2 January.
They attacked two more Christians and damaged another vehicle in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh state, whilst on the same day others staged an anti-Christian rally in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.
At midday on 2 January, around 200 members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council), attacked four pastors of the Brethren Assembly church in Indrapuram, near Delhi, Uttar Pradesh.
The victims, identified as Samuel John, George Thomas, Abraham George and V P Paulouse, received internal injuries.
"We were attacked while we were distributing tracts on God's love to the local residents," George reported.
He said the attackers accused the pastors of offering money to Hindus for their conversion to Christianity, an allegation he denies.
The nationalists also badly damaged a car belonging to Pastor Paulouse.
After the attack, the mob dragged the Christians to the local police station. Officers kept the injured Christians in the police station for more than four hours but did not register the nationalists' complaint of 'forced conversions'.
Police also refused to file an incident report on behalf of the Christians.
The All India Christian Council (AICC) offered assistance in lodging an official complaint, but the pastors said they preferred not to press charges. "We are Christians, and we believe in forgiveness," George said.
Dr John Dayal, secretary general of the AICC, condemned the attack: "The fact that Christians can be attacked in the National Capital Region (NCR) reflects how insecure we are in this country," he assessed.
The NCR includes Delhi and neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad, Noida, Faridabad and Gurgaon.
Madhya Pradesh attack
The same day, extremists of the Dharma Sena (Religious Army) beat two Christians in Devera village in the Singroli area of Madhya Pradesh.
The Rev Madhu Chandra of the AICC reports local Christians Shyam Sunder and Ram Deen received injuries in the chest and legs.
He said the attack took place when nine Christians – guests of Nahum Das, a local Christian belonging to an independent church – were visiting Tez Bali, a believer in Devera village.
When the Christians were in Mr Bali's house, local residents told them that violent Hindu nationalists were approaching to launch an attack. Hearing the news, Mr Bali hid the nine guests in a room and locked it from the outside.
The nationalists, however, damaged the boundary wall and broke into the house. They also broke the lock of the room where the Christians were hiding and beat Mr Sunder and Mr Deen.
They also vandalised a car belonging to Mr Das in which the Christian visitors were travelling.
When Mr Das was informed about the attack, he called the police, who rescued the Christian visitors.
The police reluctantly registered a complaint against the attackers after the intervention of a government official.
"To justify their attack, the extremists lodged a counter-complaint against the Christians accusing them of conversions," a representative of the Christian Legal Association of India told journalists.
Police registered a case against the victims for 'disturbing religious harmony' under the Indian Penal code and for 'indulging in conversions' under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Act.
Police had not arrested anyone at press time and were investigating the complaints.
Anti-Christian rally
Also on 2 January, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a protest rally against the construction of a building by the Good Shepherd Community Church (GSCC) in Rodham, Ananthapur district, Andhra Pradesh.
According to an AICC report, a leader of the RSS, identified only as Giri, and a BJP leader, Lokesh Gupta, gathered about 200 people raising objections to the GSCC's plan to construct a church near a Hindu temple.
The crowd also accused the church of converting Hindus in the area.
Hindu nationalists had on Christmas Eve burnt down a church, arrested carol-singers and disrupted yuletide services in several states.
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