Hindu residents attacked and injured Christians, news reports said.
The January 24 violence in a village in Malkangiri district left at least 10 Christians wounded with two requiring hospitalization, said Compass Direct, a Christian news agency.
The attacks reportedly began when four missionaries from the Indian Evangelical Team and 14 Christian families at a believer’s house in Koikonda village. Members of the nationalist Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) allegedly gathered a group of about 50 people, who surrounded the home and demanded that the missionaries come out.
As soon as the missionaries complied, the mob started beating them and then attacked other Christians in the house, Compass Direct said.
MISSIONARY UNCONSCIOUS
One of the missionaries, Vijay Kumar, reportedly fell unconscious and did not regain consciousness until three days later. He and missionary Baldas Gopal were apparently hospitalized with serious internal injuries.
The attack came after a similar incident last month in Orissa, when a pastor, Rabindra Mallick and two other family members were hospitalized following an attack by militants.
Churches have expressed concern over what they see as growing attacks against Christians in India. In one of the latest incidents outside Orissa, In another incident, at least one priest was injured when a Hindu mob attacked a new Catholic school and boarding hostel for tribal children as the facility was inaugurated last weekend, Catholic and other news sources said.
BISHOP ATTACKED
Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai and three priests, Oneil Faroz, Philip Vaz and Andrew Rodrigues, were reportedly pelted with stones and verbally abused.
The nationalist Hindu organizations Bajrang Dal and Vanvasi Kalyan Parishad were among those protesting against the hostel, saying its purpose was to convert the children to Christianity.
Indian Bishop Samuel Thomas, who leads the mission group Hopegivers International, told BosNewsLife there is "growing persecution of Christians" especially in Indian states where nationalist Hindu parties are in power. He said he had survived 18 assassination attempts. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from India).
