Arrested Pastor, Evangelist Released in Karnataka

:: christianpost :: A pastor and an evangelist detained by police after Hindu radicals attacked them and held captive, were released after three days on an intervention by Christian advocacy group in Karnataka, south India.

Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC), based in the state capital Bangalore said Friends Missionary Prayer Band (FMPB) missionaries - Pastor Murthy Nayak Ganesh, 28, and Evangelist Chandrakanth Gopanna Lambani, 18, were released Monday after its intervention.

The FMPB missionaries based in Laksmeshwar, Kundugol Taluk, Hubli, Dharwad district in northern Karnataka were arrested by police on Saturday after about 30 Hindu extremists barged into a home where they were offering prayers for Ms. Venkatamma’s family on the latter’s request in Gowdigere Tanda, 25 km away from Laksmeshwar, their mission centre. The radicals accused them of forceful conversion, and questioned the pastors asking them how much they paid people to accept Christianity. They held them captive in a temple until the police were called in, the duo were instead arrested.

Ever since the arrests, GCIC had been keeping in touch with the authorities in the area, resulting in the release of the missionaries.

GCIC said both Pastor Ganesh and Evan. Chandrakanth are from a Hindu Banjara caste background. They accepted Jesus as their personal saviour 10 years ago. The Missionary duo have been sharing the gospel in various parts of Karnataka. Six months ago, they started a church under the FMPB mission in Laksmeshwar, Kundugol Taluk. About 40 believers have been gathering together for the worship service. FMPB is a very well known missionary indigenous mission organisation in India.

According to GCIC, Karnataka recorded the most number of attacks against Christians this year. At least 43 incidents have been reported this year throughout the state. Among the victims was a Catholic priest Father James Mukalel, 39, who was murdered by suspected Hindu radicals whose body was found on a roadside in a village near Mangalore on 30 July.

Several pastors, missionaries, and preachers were attacked, detained and arrested on false charges. At various places Churches and educational establishments of Christians were attacked and vandalised.

Christians believe the anti-Christian elements were emboldened ever since Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wrested power in the state a year ago. The state government is mulling on introducing anti-conversion bill, which Christians fear will further lead to more persecutions, and wanted that such bills should not be allowed to become law in the state.

Christians make up a little over 1 million in Karnataka which has nearly 53 million populations according to 2001 census of India.