NEW DELHI — Refusing to register a complaint against Hindu extremists who stoned and beat a pastor until he was unconscious, police in Madhya Pradesh state also struck a Christian who tried to report the attack, area church leaders said.
Four police officers on Nov. 30 broke into the worship service of the Gospel Church in Boothpada village, Ratlam District and ordered the Christians to leave, said church pastor Govind Meida. A mob of Hindu extremists soon followed, shouting anti-Christian chants. Meida and Pastor Sharad Pargi, a guest speaker at the service, fled on a motorcycle. Stones hurled at them hit Pargi on the head, causing severe bleeding. The assailants caught hold of them, pinned them to the ground and beat and kicked them, Meida said.
Area Christians said a police officer also slapped a church member, Shambu Bhai, when he went to the Bajana police station in Ratlam District to file a complaint.
Rather than registering a case against the Hindu assailants, police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against area Christians under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The police official said the FIR was based on knife-wielding, Christian women allegedly throwing stones at police and others. The Christians dismissed the accusations as ridiculous.
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