Sunday, December 12, 2004

Pastor Beaten up in Rajasthan


19 hours on 10 December 2004.

Place: Sevana under the Dalot police station in Chittorgarh District of Rajasthan.

Mohan Rawat (21) and Shyam Lal (21), pastors working under Good Shepherd Christian Community, were proceeding to participate in a whole night prayer service at a house belonging to one of the believers. A group of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) men, led by local leader Prakash Kharadi, pounced up on the pastors and started to manhandle them.

They did not stop there. They dragged the two pastors to the house where the prayer was being held. They accused them of converting the people in the area. When the police arrived on the scene on receiving the information, they quietly left the place. Under the protection offered by the police, they went ahead with the prayer meeting.

The injured pastors were taken to a nearby hospital where they were given first aid. Then they went to police station and filed an FIR. But that failed to deter the RSS men, who were bent on driving the pastors away. They came again the following night and threatened them.