Raipur, Chhattisgarh stateA pastors’ conference in Raipur, Chhattisgarh state, India, was violently assaulted by members of the extremist group Dharam Sena (Religion Army), last Friday, 2 February.  A mob of about 25 Hindu militants pushed into the banquet hall and began battering the assembled Christian leaders.

The extremists shouted “Jai Shri Ram! [Hail god Rama]” as they beat the Christians with sticks, verbally insulted them and accused them of forcibly converting Hindus.

Participants searched in vain for hiding places. “My staff locked one elderly Christian couple into a room for their safety,” [Jay] Prakash [Christian owner of the hall] said.

About 100 Christian leaders were present at the meeting, according to Prakash. Of those, at least 10 received injuries. The Evangelical Fellowship of India (EFI) later reported that local believer Sakha Ram was the most seriously injured.

The mob also beat two foreigners, identified only as Jack and Coli. “The extremists dragged them at least one kilometer away, beating them all along the way,” EFI said in a press statement. Two other foreign guests managed to escape.

The rioters also damaged furniture and electronic equipment and stole about $227 in cash.

The self-styled Religion Army has been very active in Raipur of late.  Members attacked Christians several times during the Christmas season, burning churches, arresting carol singers, and disrupting Christmas services.

About 401,000 Christians live in Chhattisgarh state—two percent of the total population.

Compass Direct has initiated a series of news briefs to publicise particular occurrences of persecution in areas with a high volume of such incidents.  This page of news briefs from India reports seven incidents during January in which pastors, evangelists, and ordinary Christians were assaulted, robbed, threatened, and otherwise intimidated.

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