Source: Worthy News, June 10, 2013
Twenty Baptist pastors have been attacked by suspected Hindu militants in southeastern India, and several church leaders required hospital treatment for severe injuries, representatives said Friday, June 7.
The All India Christian Council (AICC), which represents churches and mission groups, said the victims were from the Telugu Baptist Church who gathered for their monthly prayer meeting.
About 50 followers of Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) stormed the gathering, “brutally attacked” the pastors “with sticks and rods causing dreadful injuries,” and verbally abused them, AICC added in a statement seen by BosNewsLife.
The mob also accused the church leaders of forcing people to convert to Christianity, the group said.
Seven of the pastors, identified only as Thimothy, Kumar, Krupaiah, Roberts, Rosaiah, Lazarus, and Thinothy, were rushed to hospital for serious injuries, according to AICC officials.
» Editor’s note: Want to learn more about the forces behind violent attacks like these? You might find help in the recently published book, Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians, by Paul Marshall, Lela Gilbert, and Nina Shea.