Pastors attacked
Two Hindu fundamentalist groups attacked Tuesday night the attendees of Christian Teachers’ Training Program in South Indian State of Karnataka, seriously injuring four pastors; when complained, police instead arrested eight pastors.
74 people gathered for Teacher Training
According to GCICI, about 74 people had gathered together for a Teacher’s Training Program that was organized by the Seva Bharath Mission India in Patil Sabha Bhavan (House) in Annigere, Nalagund Taluk in Dharwad District in northern Karnataka between 11 and 14 August. The group consisted of 50 male pastors and 24 young women from various districts of Northern Karnataka.
Activists broke into the building
“On Tuesday night, while the group was asleep after attending a day-long training program; the Hindutva activists broke into the building premises and started beating up the male pastors at 11:30 p.m.,” stated GCIC. “Pastors Madan Kumar, Francis, Jayraj and Prakash were seriously injured while other pastors incurred minor injuries.”
Women were not even spared
The report said, “Even the young women were not spared. Most of the women are aged between 17-23 years. They were humiliated with verbal abuses and man-handled by the attackers.” All their Bibles and mobile phones were confiscated. The attack lasted about one and a half hours.
Group-Bajrang-Dal
The attackers named
Group-Bajrang-Dal
GCIC said that they have confirmed the attackers as Sri Ram Sena and Bajrang Dal leaders: Alikere, Palyad Kallur, Mahesh Palyad, Gangadhar Alikere, and Shivkumar Kallur. They were joined by around 30 others, it said.
Police threaten the Christian Leaders
The report said Pastor R Joseph Christopher and other pastors managed to escape from the building and rushed to the Annigere police station where they related the incidents that were taking place to the police. Immediately, policemen went to Patil Sabha Bhavan to intervene in the situation. However on their arrival, they started siding with the miscreants and threatened the Christians gathered there.
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The police, the report said, have “arrested eight pastors were and have taken them to the Annigere police station”.
In addition to these, those who escaped to report the incident to the police station were arrested too, it stated. GCIC identified that the complaint was made to PSI Rajumani and ASI Jagidhar.
The pastors who were arrested at 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning were questioned all night long. At 4:00 a.m. on the same morning, the pastors were charge-sheeted under articles 143, 147, 120 B, 295 A, 149 under the IPC, the report said.
Muthalik heads Sri Rama Sene (army of God Ram) and has been arrested several times earlier on charges of delivering inflammatory speeches.
Muthalik heads Sri Rama Sene (army of God Ram) and has been arrested several times earlier on charges of delivering inflammatory speeches.
No water, No toilets
Meanwhile, the report said the men and women in Patil Sabha Bhavan were illegally detained by the Sri Rama Sene and Bajrang Dal men aided and abetted by the Karnataka police. They are still locked up and have not been given any water and are not being allowed to use the toilets.
On Wednesday morning when a couple of local pastors tried to visit the scene, they too were caught by the Hindutva terrorists and locked up in the room. GCIC said severe violations of human rights are occurring there right now due to illegal detention. There has a suspension.
Self-styled journalists harassed the young women
GICI said the incident was staged in such a way that the vernacular press arrived this morning to cover the event. Going against every journalism ethic and practice, the self-styled journalists intimidated and further harassed the young women making it very clear that they were aligned with Hindutva agendas and probably Hindutva agents in disguise.
Seva Bharath Mission India Ministry
The report said Seva Bharath Mission India, the host of the training program has been known for their humanitarian service provided to Northern Karnataka for the past nine years. They work in the field of adult literacy as well as children’s education programs. They have been involved in evening tuition classes for street children and have provided books and pencils to many children.
Although this ministry was started in Tarnaka, Secunderabad, their focus has been North Karnataka since 2000. “The teacher’s training program was being organized to equip men and women from 11 districts in North Karnataka to teach and be a part of the humanitarian mission.”
GCIC said it was contacted at mid-night on Tuesday and has been working on the case all night. “In spite of interventions and calls to the police station, no action is being taken by the police, it stated.
“In fact GCIC lawyer Prashanth Sowreddy has not been given access to meet any of the victims locked up in Patil Sabha Bhavan.”
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