India State Police Orders End To Christian Worship Services, official

Monday, September 25, 2006

By BosNewsLife News Center

NEW DELHI, INDIA (BosNewsLife)-- Police in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have ordered several Christian leaders not to hold Sunday worship services saying Hindu militants planned to attack their churches, an official told BosNewsLife Saturday, September 23.

A pastor at the area of Adyar near the city of Mangalore was "summoned to the [local] police station and was asked not to conduct worship service tomorrow, Sunday, September 24, as Radical Hindus have planned to attack the worship place," said Sajan George, the president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC).

He said the GCIC also learned that pastors of several evangelical congregations, including New Life Fellowship and Believers' Church India were summoned and ordered by police “not to entertain people from the Hindu religion during prayer meetings.”

However "our pastors," who are supported by the GCIC "informed the Sub Inspector [of police] that they cannot forbid anyone who wants to join them for prayers and hence they need protection," George told BosNewsLife.

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He said a group of militant Hindus, who were apparently present during the negotiations with police, threatened that “they will not allow such prayer meetings to take place in the future. The Sub Inspector we are told expressed his inability to give protection…”

While Sunday worship services were expected to continue in Karnataka state, “our people are quite tensed in view of these developments,” he added. The unrest in Karnataka follows reports of several violent incidents targeting Christians across India in recent days. (With reports from India).

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