The attackers reportedly used petrol to burn the prayer hall down. As per reports, petrol was poured into the hall through a window into the prayer hall before the place was light on fire. The fire incurred a lot of damage with the building and furniture within it having faced considerable destruction.
The local Christian community, who is trying to grapple with the violent incident, has taken to the public forum X to fervently appeal to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister for swift and resolute action against the perpetrators. The plea underscores the gravity of the situation and seeks justice for the deliberate assault on their place of worship.
In #Karnataka‘s #Ramanagara, An unidentified miscreant set fire to the Grace community prayer hall here on February 28. However, the incident came to light only now.
It is said that an unidentified person poured petrol into the community hall through a window and lit it on fire.… pic.twitter.com/SBxZVhRmPL
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) March 4, 2024
Responding to the matter, the Ramanagara Town police have officially registered a case and have promised an investigation in the matter.
A month ago, on January 24th, a Christian couple was attacked in the state in Bijapur. The couple was reportedly physically assaulted by a mob of people associated with Hindutva groups. The mob accused the couple of engaging in forced religious conversion. Furthermore, the assault did not stop there, as per reports by Siasat News, right-wing groups even lead a campaign against the couple on various social media platforms.
Vijayalakshmi, in her complaint, asserted that it was her constitutional right to practise Christianity. She highlighted that her family has been facing persistent harassment on the basis of religion. They have also been getting abusive comments and the sudden cancellation of crucial government documents such as the Aadhaar card.
The report details that this is not an isolated case of harassment from the Hindutva mobs. Three other Christian families that are associated with the same church as Vijayalakshmi and Ashok, have experienced mistreatment, including the denial of access to electricity and drinking water. They have also been reportedly openly threatened with violence, with warnings that they would face lethal consequences if they continued their worship of Jesus Christ.
In recent news, Assam has witnessed a campaign by radical groups that are campaigning and giving ultimatums for the removal of Christian symbolism from missionary schools in Assam. The groups have stuck posters around Guwahati and neighbouring areas where they give these ultimatums to the schools. They have also demanded that the missionary schools’ fathers and nuns wear ‘normal dress.’ School administrations have written to police, requesting protection in the face of these campaigns and urging the need to address these concerns.
Incidents of violence against Christians, particularly against those from marginalised castes and tribes within the community, have continued persistently from last year. According to information from a Delhi-based organisation, the United Christian Forum reported at the close of 2023 that, on average, two Christians are attacked daily in India. The report which was released on December 14 showed that a total of 687 documented incidents of violence against Christians took place within the span of 334 days in 2023.
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