(International Christian Concern) On November 13, 16 Christian pastors in India were falsely accused of disturbing the peace. The false accusation was made against the pastors after they went to a local government office to represent a pastor who was attacked by a mob of radical Hindu nationalists.
On November 7, Pastor Chandrakanth and his congregation were attacked by a mob of 40 radical Hindu nationalists as they gathered for worship in India’s Karnataka state. The mob forced their way into the worship hall, but members of the congregation formed a human barrier between Pastor Chandrakanth and the radicals.
“The congregation stood before me as a human fence,” Pastor Chandrakanth told International Christian Concern (ICC). “Otherwise, they would have killed me. The radicals want to wipe out Christianity from this area and they think it is easy under the BJP government, presently ruling the state.”
After an hour, police arrived on the scene and took control of the situation. Police, however, filed a case against Pastor Chandrakanth for disturbing the peace. Pastor Chandrakanth was told to appear before the local magistrate on November 13.
On the day of the hearing, 16 pastors went to the local magistrate’s office for peace talks on behalf of the Christian community and Pastor Chandrakanth. When they arrived at the local administration office, however, these 16 pastors were also accused of disturbing the peace.
In recent weeks, attacks on Christians and their places of worship in Karnataka have dramatically increased. This increase in persecution comes as the BJP-led government of Karnataka publicly lobbies for the enactment of an anti-conversion law using false anti-Christian narratives. For many radicals operating in Karnataka, they act as if the anti-conversion law already exists.
This article originally appeared here.