A Christian prayer service inside a home was disrupted by a mob of Bajrang Dal members after which the police detained the Christians. On April 30, a service was being held at the home of a dentist Dr Vinay Sahu in Amleshwar in Durg district where about 50 Christians were praying. Dr Sahu and roughly 20 other participants were detained by the police for “disturbing peace” and the people in the mob who were assaulting some of the Christians were let off, said Chhattisgarh Christian Forum president Arun Pannalal while speaking The Telegraph.
Dr Sahu told the publication that he and nine other Christians had been taken into preventive arrest before being released at 8pm on a personal recognisance (PR) bond. He further said that a similar attack was done by Bajrang Dal in 2021 while such prayers have been carried out in his home since 2019. “But it’s our house and we haven’t ever forced anyone to attend the service. All those attending the prayer service on Sunday were Christians. Nor do we use mikes and cause noise pollution. We fail to understand the reason for the protest and such attacks,” he added.
Dr Sahu and even Pannalal alleged that the police were present when the Bajrang Dal goons were assaulting the Christians, but they did not take any action nor did they try to stop them.
There is a video where, presumably, the Christians behind a gate shot the video and Bajrang Dal members approached them amidst slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’. There is also a video taken by one of the Bajrang Dal members where it can be seen that the Christians were being taken away in a police car and suddenly one man with a saffron cloth wrapped around his head, started hitting another man, one of the Christians. Once the police car left, the goons were seen hugging each other and celebrating. While shooting the video he was pointing towards the Christians and saying, “they are traitors, look at them”. Addressing one of the women, he said, “don’t show your face here again”.
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