MYSORE, INDIA (ANS) -- A group of 300 Hindi radicals entered the homes of Christian believers in a slum located in Mysore, Karnataka state on February 17, 2010, and assaulted them for their faith in Christ.

A slum in India

According to the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), the attack took place at around 7:00 pm when the radicals belonging to Bajrang Dal, a right-wing Hindu organization which is the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), made their way to the location of 22 Christian houses in a slum.

The CCIC report said that they indiscriminately attacked and beat up men, women and children, shouting slogans “Jai Hanuman” (Hail, Lord Hanuman) as they did. They also alleged that the saffron-clad radicals “misbehaved with the women engaged in the household chores and hit them with stones and beat them with wooden clubs.”

The source said the attackers then compelled some of them to sign affidavits, to admit that they were being “forcibly converted” to Christianity. However, the vehement refusal of most of the determined Christian slum dwellers infuriated the Bajrang Dal activists and a Christian believer called Gopal lost four teeth and was admitted to the government hospital Internal Care Unit for treatment.

The source said that the policemen arrived at around 10 pm and then took the Christian victims to the police station and allegedly repeatedly threatening them of “dire consequences if they continued to hold on to their faith in Christ.” 

To make matters worse, the story also alleged that the injured when then taken to a local hospital, but “were denied proper medical aid by the hospital authorities.”

James Varghese is a reporter for Masihat newspaper in India, and is also a freelance journalist working for ANS.