DEHLI — On the evening of July 31, the students and staff of a Bible school in Dabwali, Haryana, India, were at prayer when about 250 people attacked them. Led by a local Bharatiya Janata Party politician and ex-member of the Legislative Assembly, the assailants were mostly members of the militant Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) organization.
Assailants shouted anti-Christian slogans and accused the 25-member student body of converting people in the area. They also expressed objections to the screening of a film depicting the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The mob burned Bibles and Christian literature, vandalized the school and smashed furniture. They beat the students, including five females. One girl named Santosh managed to telephone the police, but the mob disappeared before officers arrived at the scene.
When the police did arrive, officers threatened the students and warned them of consequences if the Bible school continued to operate in the town. Santosh showed the officers bruises on her legs from the beatings, but they refused to take action against the attackers. Police also refused to file a First Information Report, a mandatory requirement for reporting such incidents. Instead, they arrested six of the Bible school students, later releasing them following intervention from local Christian leaders.
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