Open Doors, March 13th, 2024
At least 22 Christians in India, injured after a 200-strong mob attacked a church, are still in shock after their ordeal. Two children were among those injured in the mob violence in the southern state of Telangana over a land dispute, in which attackers shouted, “Jai Shri Ram”, meaning ‘Hail Lord Ram’, – a chant which has become a hallmark of Hindu nationalists.
Tensions had arisen after a group of villagers demanded the road to be widened eight feet into the compound of the Methodist Church in the Janwada village area of Rangareddy district. The Christians protested, and that’s when things turned violent.
“The argument became strong, and suddenly around 200 people barged into the church with hockey sticks, stones and wooden sticks,” shares an eyewitness. “When the believers tried to stop them, they beat them mercilessly and broke everything that was inside the church.”
When the police intervened, the ordeal wasn’t over for the believers. Despite being the victims of the violence, several members of the church were arrested alongside the attackers.
The imprisoned believers were terrified and forced to sign some documents in favour of the attackers. So, the attackers got bail and were released from prison immediately, whereas the believers were released on bail only two weeks later.