RAIKASHIPUR, India — Brandishing hockey sticks and a gun that was fired on house-church grounds, masked Hindu extremists assaulted Christians in Pratapgarh District.
After the July 2 assault that terrorized families and sent nine of about 50 injured Christians to the hospital for treatment, influential Hindus pressured police to file charges against the Christians, the church pastor said.
A partially blind girl identified as 12-year-old Rishu was severely beaten with sticks on her back, hands, legs and elsewhere on her body and a 10-year-old boy sustained a head injury that required seven stitches during the attack at the worship site, where about 100 Christians had gathered, pastor Ram Kumar Gautam said.
The 50 people not injured managed to flee for their lives, he said. He added that more of the injured church members would have obtained hospital treatment, but were afraid of further violence.
The pastor said the assailants were members of the Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party, accompanied by a few villagers.
India ranked 11th on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2018 World Watch List of countries where Christians experience the most persecution. (MS)
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