Karnataka, November 29 (Compass Direct News) – Four Karnataka state police constables beat Indian Mission Society (IMS) evangelist Solomaon Nayak in Savalgi village, Bagalkot district, on November 23, according to Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). At about 12:30 p.m., as Nayak and four Christian volunteers were making arrangements for the inauguration of the Sanjeevani Rehabilitation Centre (SRC) run by the IMS, four constables posted at the Savalgi police station came to the SRC and began rudely questioning Nayak, George said. “The police accused them of setting up the SRC with the intention of alluring villagers to covert,” he said. “The police slapped Nayak and repeatedly hit the volunteers on their backs and limbs with their batons.” Laxman Narayan Gowda, GCIC regional coordinator, told Compass, “The police left after an hour of angrily questioning and abusing the Christians, and with a stern warning that the SRC would be closed down if there was even the smallest complaint from the villagers.”
Karnataka – Police arrested five Every Home Crusade evangelists for alleged conversion by allurement on November 18 at the state-run ESI hospital, Indiranagar, Bangalore, Karnataka. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said that the Christians, identified only as Manjula, 48, Pal Santhosh, 27, Chandru, 24, Chandran, 38, and Prasad, 30, were praying for the recovery of hospital patients at about 8 p.m. when some patients alerted Dr. Anand P.S., the casualty medical officer. Shortly afterward a large group of Hindus interrupted the ministry and informed police. Officers seized two bags of pamphlets and many blank Bible Training Centre for Pastors forms, reported the Deccan Herald News Service on November 19. Dr. Anand registered a complaint at the local police station against the Christians for “illegally” converting patients to Christianity, the report stated. The Christians were charged with “communal disharmony” under Indian Penal Code, section 153-A, and were released on November 19, said George.
Karnataka – Hindu extremists allegedly belonging to the Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the Hindu extremist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) on November 18 stopped Christian worship at Praise of Righteous Ministry in Ananda Nagar, Old Hubli, Karnataka, and then beat a pastor identified only as Gokhavi and filed a false complaint of forcible conversion against him. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said that Gokhavi was preaching when 22 to 25 extremists led by a local villager identified only as Raghavendra barged into the worship shouting the Hindu chant “Jai Haunman (Victory to Lord Hanuman),” slapped Gokahvi, grabbed the microphone from his hand and struck him on his head with it. “The extremists lifted up the Bible and tore up some pages while cursing the Christian faith,” George said, “and began punching and kicking the believers, flinging chairs at them.” They extremists also damaged musical instruments and the sound system, and piled hymn books and Bibles outside the Church and burned them, said Laxmi Narayan Gowda, regional coordinator GCIC. Injured were Rekha Gokhavi, wife of the pastor, and others identified only as 25-year-old Somu, 27-year-old Satish, 24-year-old Anand, and 26-year-old Shivanda. “Police photographed the burning of the holy books and took Gokhavi, Rekha Gokhavi and the other injured believers to the local police station, where the extremists registered a complaint of forcible conversion against Gokhavi,” Gowda told Compass. The Christians were released at 6 p.m., he said. George said that GCIC and representatives of the Pastors’ Fellowship in Hubli, will meet with the police commissioner to seek security for the area Christians.
Karnataka – Hindu extremists from the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council), broke into the house church of pastor Durgappa Gangadhar’s Resurrected God’s Ministry’ on November 11 in Malai Bennur village, Adiyara Taluk in Davangere district, Karnataka. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) said that the Christians were worshiping when about 30 extremists barged into the house shouting curses and halted the service. The Hindu extremists photographed the congregation of 70 people and threatened to harm them if they continued practicing their faith. Gangadhar told Compass, “Police Inspector Brijesh Mathew of Malai Bennur police station refused to register a complaint against the extremists – instead, he shouted angrily at me, accusing me of disrupting the peace in the village.” After the GCIC intervened, however, police accepted the complaint. On November 13, the Pastors’ Committee of Davangere met with Davangere District Superintendent of Police Ravindra Prasad to inform him about the harassment.
Karnataka – Hindu extremists forcibly stopped a Christian prayer fellowship, beat a pastor and congregants and filed a false complaint of forced conversion on November 8 at Nandeshwar, Gadag district, Karnataka state. Dr. Sajan K. George of the Global Council of Indian Christians said that independent pastor Yelumalai Nayak was at the house of Dharma and Mangalavva Singh conducting his weekly prayer fellowship attended by around 15 believers when some 25 Hindu extremists led by Shankar Tavarappa stormed into the house. They repeatedly slapped and punched Nayak and the other congregants, including women, and warned them not to conduct prayer services in their house again, said George. “The extremists then went to the Mundargi Taluka Police station [Gadag district] and filed a false complaint of [forced] conversion against the pastor and the couple,” George said. Police detained the pastor and the couple and released them at 2 a.m. the next day. Mangalavva Singh was hospitalized for internal injuries at the CSI Basel Mission Hospital in Gadag-Betgeri; she was discharged on November 10, Laxmi Narayan Gowda, GCIC regional co-coordinator told Compass. “On November 11 at 10 a.m., Nayak and Dharma Singh were summoned for questioning to the Mundargi Taluka Police station and were released at 6 p.m. the same day without any charges,” said Gowda.
Karnataka – Hindu extremists on April 22 stormed a Good Friday service at Muttaldinni village in Bagalkot district and ordered the congregation to convert to Hinduism. The Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) reported that the demand by about 50 club-wielding Hindu extremists led to heated arguments, and that the assailants told pastors Gurappa Powar and Ashok Motilal Powar to apply Hindu symbols to their foreheads and offered them 10,000 rupees ($US223) to convert to Hinduism. The pastors declined, saying they believed only in Jesus Christ. The Hindu extremists beat them – Gurappa Powar later received hospital treatment for his injuries – tore Bibles and hymn books, and filed a false police complaint against them of forceful conversion. The GCIC reported that local police refused to help the Christians, but that eventually Sub-Inspector Shankar Rathode helped to bring calm.