HYDERABAD, India: A group of people who attend a house church in northern India are presently unable to come together for religious worship as a result of a violent attack on July 14 by a mob of roughly 150 Hindu extremists.
During a worship session in the Nawada area of Uttarakhand state’s Dehradun District, 15 church members were participating in prayers when Pastor Rajesh Bhomi’s mother-in-law approached them with a sense of urgency. She had noticed a mob just a few meters away as she made her way to the Sunday service, prompting concern and unease among the worshippers.
Pastor Bhomi, 37, recounted that his mother-in-law had become suspicious that a group of RSS (Hindu extremist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) activists had assembled with the intent to attack them, prompting her to give them a warning.
He and his spouse, Deeksha Pal, own a house with a top floor dedicated to worship. He said his mother-in-law suggested they lock the main entrance gate and conduct the services quietly, without music or a microphone.
“We locked the gate and stayed indoors, not making any noise,” Pastor Bhomi said. “Soon, we found the mob with women leading in the front, banging on the gate, trying to break open the lock.”
“We asked them, ‘Why did you come as a mob of over 100?’ but they insisted that we open the lock and that they would only speak with us,” he said to Morning Star News.
“They went around the house vandalizing every object in their sight, and some carried lathis. They beat wherever on the body badly,” he said. “As they banged and pushed the gate, we let the lock loose in that struggle.”
“‘Why did you come as a mob of over 100?’ we asked them, but they kept repeating that we must open the lock and that they would only talk to us,” he told Morning Star News.
“In that struggle, as they banged and pushed the gate, we released the lock, and immediately, the mob of about 150 people rushed inside the building like flood waters. They went around the house, vandalizing every object in their sight, and some carried lathis. They beat wherever on the body badly.”
His wife, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and two other female members of the congregation were severely injured, he said.
“They received lathi blows in the stomach, neck, and hands,” Pastor Bhomi said. “As they continued beating us, some from among the mob snatched away our mobile phones and laptops and damaged the musical instrument.”
The beating continued until police arrived and dispersed the mob, he said. After taking their statements, officers told them to come to the police station at 7 p.m. to receive a copy of the First Information Report.
Despite being aware that the couple’s 1-year-old and 7-year-old children hadn’t eaten all day and had been crying after witnessing the violence, the officers at the location kept the couple waiting for over an hour.
Police delayed filing cases against the assailants, the pastor said.
Pastor Bhomi stated, “Initially, the police said that cases would be filed against the attackers as unknown since we do not know who they are.” One of our church members, who used to be associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), bravely stepped forward to identify 11 of the attackers. These assailants are well-known figures in the city and hold leadership positions within the RSS.
Police in Nehru colony named assailants Devendra Dobal, Bijendra Thapa, Sudheer Thapa, Sanjeev Pal, Sudheer Pal, Dheerendra Dobal, Arman Dobal, Aryaman Dobal, Anil Hindu, Bhupesh Joshi and Bijendra in the FIR.
According to the pastor’s mention of the new criminal law Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the legal case involves several charges, including causing severe harm, inciting violence, offending religious sensibilities, engaging in fraudulent activities, disseminating false information through electronic means, and inspiring beliefs about divine retribution.
Though they named the suspects, officers did not include the statements church members had given about the attack, he said.
“It seemed as if the police were also under pressure since the averments we made in the actual complaint went missing,” Pastor Bhomi said. “The police had written their version in a subtle tone so that stringent sections of the law are not attracted.”
The Christians did not need to gather evidence since the mob had recorded the video and posted it on social media platforms, he said.
“The attackers’ faces are clearly visible in the video, but the police have not taken any action yet,” stated Pastor Bhomi. “The attackers’ faces are visible in the video, but the police have not taken any action yet,” stated Pastor Bhomi. Pastor Bhomi stated, “The attackers’ faces are so clearly visible in the video, yet police have not yet taken any action against them.” “They only tell us that the investigation is underway.”
A church member who helped register the case by identifying the assailants lost a job at a factory that he had held for 16 years, he said, as the owner is an ardent RSS supporter. He added that the owners of neighborhood shops now refuse to sell groceries and other essentials to church members.
“We are enduring immense hatred from all corners; many are writing dirty comments about the videos that went viral,” Pastor Bhomi said. “They are writing in filthy language about my wife. It has been alarming mentally, but I thank God she is spiritually stronger.”
He said the attack was the first of such severity that he had experienced in 20 years of ministry.
“Yet I believe God chooses only a few for this great mission of facing persecution. I am thankful to the Lord for choosing me,” he said. “Through this pain and trials, too, I want to serve the Lord. I want to serve the Lord until my last breath.”
He said he harbors no anger or hatred against those who attacked them.
“They came with hatred in their hearts to attack us; tomorrow, if by God’s grace, they knock on our gates again, seeking the Lord, I would gladly open the gates of my house for them,” the pastor said.
In a state of shock and panic since the attack, church members have begun participating in the church’s worship services online.
“Due to current circumstances, our congregation has temporarily shifted to virtual worship,” Pastor Bhomi explained. In this vast area, no other churches are within a radius of at least 20 kilometers [12 miles]. The gospel’s message has not yet reached many corners of this small state.”
India ranked 11th on the Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian. The country was 31st in 2013, but its position worsened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power.
Since Modi took office in May 2014, religious rights advocates claim that the National Democratic Alliance government’s hostile rhetoric toward non-Hindus has given Hindu extremists the confidence to attack Christians in various parts of the nation.
