ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA (ANS) -- A Bishop and 40 pastors were arrested in Andhra Pradesh state in India on Thursday, June 12 in yet another attack against Christians in the world’s second most populous nation.

And, in a strange twist, those that were attacked were arrested by the police.

According to news reported on the website www.persecution.in, a group of 40 pastors led by Bishop John Peter of a Baptist church from Vishakapatnam had been to Bhadrachalam in Khammam district, to conduct a Bible seminar on June 12.

At 6.00 pm, as all the pastors were praying and worshipping, a group of Rashtriya Swayam Sevaks (RSS)/Bharatiya Janatha Party (BJP) radicals broke open the door to the room where they were and attacked the pastors.

The site reported that the RSS/BJP leaders were identified as T.C. Keshava, Suresh Goud, Durga Prasad, and Naga Babu.

When called to the scene of the attack, instead of arresting the perpetrators, the police instead arrested Bishop John Kumar and other pastors who were taken to the local police station where the radicals filed a case against the pastors which is now being handed over to the court.

They were all detained in the police station from the evening of the12th without any food or water.

Bishop John Peter conducts United Pastors Fellowship meeting in different parts of Andhra Pradesh state. A Local pastor named Isaac Sagar had organized this Fellowship meeting in the place where they were attacked.

James Varghese is a reporter for the “V” TV news in Gokak, Karnataka state, India, and is freelance journalist working for ANS.