Bible School Students Attacked and Beaten
By James Varghese
Special to ASSIST News Service
DAVANGERE, KARNATAKA, INDIA (ANS) — A group of 30 Hindu radicals from the Rastriya Swayem Sevaks (RSS) organization, attacked 18 Bible school students, who were on an evening walk at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, August 21.
The problems for the students began as they were walking and, suddenly a stranger approached Pastor Ganga Naik, one of the Bible school teachers, and enquired what they are doing in this area. The pastor replied that they had just come to spend some time here just to take a walk and play some games.
The stranger then departed and called on his cell phone to a group of Hindu radicals and 30 of them arrived on bicycles, motor bikes, auto rickshaws and cars, and started shouting at the students saying that they were forcibly converting people to Christianity.
They shouted bad words at them and then attacked them, beating them with their hands and kicking them viciously Out of the 18 students, 10 were severely beaten up.
The students consisted of 6 girls and 12 boys. The RSS people used bad words on the girls and chased them by throwing stones at them. Two boys along with 6 girls of the bible school ran from the place and got back to the college. The police arrived to the spot and police beat the Dean of the Bible school, Mr. Parasuram.
The RSS people also brought 3 Hindu women and they made them testify in front of the police that these students were forcibly converting them. Then they took the 10 students to the police station and lodged a complaint on them. The police have arrested the 10 students and have kept them in Police custody.
This school and church in this area is administered by Pastor Prem Kumar.