Three Christians attacked by mob in India for distributing religious pamphlets
Three Christians were abducted and beaten by a group who objected to the distribution of religious pamphlets in the state of Maharashtra, India, on Friday, Sept. 16. The Christians reportedly invited people to prayer meetings at the "House of God" in Khargar by giving away invitation pamphlets.
Prastant Bhatnagar, Sachin Chenge, and his wife Manisha were giving away the invitations in Taloja when a group of men allegedly attacked them.
Bhatnagar's police complaint stated that he was forced by the men to ride in a van and taken to a place near Taloja prison where he was badly beaten. The men allegedly threatened him with a gun and told him that he would be set on fire if he continued to distribute the pamphlets.
According to the complaint, the attackers took him back to Taloja and dumped him while he was unconscious. The people who found him took him to a hospital in Kharghar.
Bhatnagar maintained that they were not converting other people. He added that the event did not push through because of the attack.
"We are not in the process of getting people to convert into our religion as they (Shri Ram Pratishtan Sanghtan) have accused us," Bhatnagar told Afternoon Despatch and Courier.
"We had our 'Prarthana Sabha' today, but it got cancelled due to this incident. We were inviting people for the same. They abducted me and abused me, They had a revolver with them and they also urinated on me," he added.
Manisha also reported that she was verbally and physically abused.
The accused have been booked under kidnapping, unlawful assembly, wrongful confinement, and outraging religious feelings.
"This is a grave criminal act to assault a peaceful group so badly and to threaten them with a gun. The police must book and arrest all the culprits in this case," said Abraham Mathai, the former vice-chairman of Maharashtra Minorities.
The Evangelical Fellowship of India reported last August that attacks against Christians have increased in the past year. A total of 134 attacks have been documented in the first half of 2016. According to the report, a total of 8 incidents occurred in the state of Maharashtra.
