DUMARBHAVNA, India — The Christian community in Chhattisgarh state is rattled after a gruesome mob attack and torture in Surguja district.
At midnight Oct. 3 in Dumarbhavna village, Hindu nationalists broke open the door of a house where a three-day prayer meeting was taking place. They attacked participants as they slept, ultimately forcing two Christians to beat one of their own prayer partners unconscious under threat of death.
The mob from the Hindu extremist Dharma Sena (Religious Army) beat the participants in the prayer meeting, including women, and dragged three of them from the house of Parmeshwar Beik.
“We thought that they were taken to the police station, but instead they were taken to a secluded place where they were beaten all night,” Yahoshu Kujur, pastor of Blessing Church of God, said.
Muneshwar Ekka and Beik were beaten first, and then the Hindu nationalists ordered them to beat the third captured Christian, Ravi Devangan, or be killed.
Police reportedly deceived local Christians into believing that no complaint would be filed against the prayer team members for “forced conversion” if they would agree to file no complaints against the Hindu nationalists.
Instead police registered a case of “forced conversion” against the three Christians under Sections 3 and 4 of the Chhattisgarh Freedom of Religion Bill.
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