Activists of Bajrang Dal, a Hindu religious group, on Sunday attacked and vandalised a Christian building in Jehanabad district of Bihar and thereafter, blocked the National Highway for some time. The incident has created panic among the small Christian community of the district.
Police officials said the Bajrang Dal activists raided the Christian Bhawan during prayer and damaged the furniture along with other things.
The reason for their protest is against the alleged conversion ceremony which was going on inside the building at that moment. However, Pastor Kamlesh denied any conversion ceremony going on in the building.
“It was regular Sunday, prayer meeting going on inside the building when a group of Bajrang Dal activists attacked and beat all those present in the prayer. They also vandalized furniture of the prayer hall”, he said.
The incident happened at Madhav Nagar locality of Jehanabad district town area, which is about 70 kilometres away from Patna.
Later, the Bajrang Dal activists blocked the National Highway-83 for some time, alleging the conversion ceremony inside the Christian Bhawan. The police disbursed them from the highway reportedly after mediated with them.
“Some people, though, have been injured in the attack inside the Christian Bhawan were discharged later. If they will complain against someone the police will take action”, said the local police station in-charge Nagendra Singh.
Meanwhile, a team of Korean cultural group had to hurriedly flee from the Pibodhna village under Daniyawan block of Patna when it was rumoured that they were appealing for conversion to poor dalit inhabitants of the village into Christianity. One of them Shyam Dev Ravidas is said to be Christian.
However, when the police officials reached the village, the Korean artistes reportedly had gone from the village and the police.
Earlier, few incidents of conversion have been reported from different parts of the state with the Hindu right wing groups alleging that the poor dalit Hindus were being converted into Christianity out of allurement.
A Vishwa Hindu Parishad [VHP] leader from Gaya, Manilal Barik recently has declared that they would hold grand ceremony of ghar-wapsi [purification ceremony] in the state in coming months of February-March.
