JABALPUR, India — A group of 45 to 50 Dharma Raksha Sena Hindu extremists mobbed Pastor Vinod Karsal, 50, Aug. 14 as he visited another pastor in Jabalpur in India’s Madhya Pradesh state to pray for him. Karsal, a pastor at the Assembly of God church in Jabalpur, was praying for Pastor Shaun Kushwaha when a mob of people from the Dharma Raksha Sena (Defense Army) gathered outside the house, began shouting anti-Christian chants and broke in. Unable to find the Bible the pastors had hidden, the Hindu extremists planted gospel tracts in the glove compartment of Karsal’s scooter, and police soon arrived to arrest him for “forcible conversion.” Police held Karsal until 11:30 p.m., until raging crowds outside the station baying for the pastor had dispersed. John Dayal, general secretary of the All India Christian Council, said, “The escalation of incidents against Christians in Madhya Pradesh is quickly reaching the threshold of patience.”
A few days after the arrest and beating of Karsal, four Christians, including a pastor, were beaten up and later arrested on charges of “forced conversion,” also in Madhya Pradesh state. Pastor K.K. Jwala of Sheopur Bible Fellowship Church and three members, identified only as Anup, Jijo and Raju Mathew, were released Aug. 21 after being arrested and beaten Aug. 20. A group of about 15 extremists hit the Christians with hockey sticks after worship ended about 10:30 a.m. Aug. 20. The extremists dragged the Christians to the Sheopur police station about 550 yards away, beating them en route. The four accused were set to appear before the court Aug. 30. The officer in charge of the police station, Hukum Singh Yadav, also allegedly beat up Jwala at the facility.
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