Goons attack Church, set afire Bible; brutally thrash pastor, pregnant wife

[email protected] (CD Network)
April 19, 2016

Raipur, Apr 19: Two miscreants armed with sharp-edged weapons barged into a church in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district and allegedly set ablaze a Bible and other articles besides thrashing the pastor and his pregnant wife.

While the police called the miscreants “unidentified men”, the local Christian community called them “Bajrang Dal goons backed by Vishva Hindu Parishad”.

1pastor-attacked

The incident took place on Sunday evening at village Karanji Matagudi Para under Parpa police station limits. "As per the written complaint of Pastor Deenbandhu Sameli, an FIR has been lodged in this connection. Continuous patrolling is being done in the region to nab the attackers. We are pretty sure that the culprits will be arrested soon," Bastar Superintendent of Police RN Dash said.

As per the complaint, two men identified themselves as belonging to some other denomination of the Christian community and expressed their desire to pray in the church.

After entering inside the premises, they launched an attack on the pastor and poured inflammable liquid on the Holy Bible, furniture and other religious material kept inside and set them ablaze.

"After getting information about the incident, we immediately rushed to the spot and deployed a policeman for security throughout the night," Dash said.

A case under sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship), 392 (robbery), 452 (house-trespass after preparation for hurt), 435 (mischief by fire or explosive substance), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC was registered against the unidentified persons, he added.

Meanwhile, president of Chhattisgarh's Christian Forum Arun Pannalal alleged that the attack was carried out by the workers of Bajrang Dal and accused police of "covering up" the incident.

"This was third attack on the religious premises of Christian community in the region. It was carried out by the goons of Bajrang dal. Police are trying to cover it up," Pannalal claimed.

The attackers were armed with a knife, hammer, sword and petrol.

After breaking locks of church premises, they barged inside and poured petrol on the Bible, other holy books, furniture and mike set and torched them, he said.

They also poured petrol on pastor Deenanath and his pregnant wife, Meena and tried to set them afire but somehow they managed to escape, Pannalal added.

Police personnel immediately reached the spot after getting report of the incident and deployed night guards there, he added.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed sources said that the pastor and his wife were targeted after they refused to chant “Shri Ram Ki Jai.”

Comments

Ravi Shetty
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

Bhajrang Dal ..is Dal main bahut Kuch Kala Hai... stupid unemployed goondas

asif
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

the fact is. after knowing the naked truth still our Hindu friends are supporting this goons, its really sad to know that. guys its good to defend their own Religion. But not hurting other religious sentiment

Vijay
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

These people will never Live happily by creating Problems to Other Religion. God Will Surely Punish Them. I wish these People may get Arrested and get a Severe punishment for what they did to the Church & the Pregnant Women.

Ahmed
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

BD and VHP are such a radical group and a challenge for Indian Democracy. Even these groups going to be a challenge for their mentors RSS and BJP.

UMMAR
 - 
Wednesday, 20 Apr 2016

NO ONE BURNT THE BIBLE BOOK OF OTHER RELIGION ,

ONLY VHP & BAJARANGAL DAL IS BURNING... THESE pEOPLE DONT HAVE MANNERS AT ALL.. THEY DONT KNOW WHAT IS MEANT BY RELIGION,... THEN BLAMING OTHERS

ATTACKING THE PUB SCHOOL COLLEGES AND SAYING THAT COW IS THEIR MOTHER
NEED TO BAN AND WARN THEM STRONGLY

Aakash
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Apr 2016

Under BJP rule , these VHP /BD/ Rama Shena and other RSS backed groups got free license to kill and destroy minorities and their worshiping places openly. No rule is applicable for these groups under BJP rules!! only God can save minority community from these goons!

neeraj
 - 
Tuesday, 19 Apr 2016

its expected......after there will preasure from USA ...MODI will get some offer........then situation will calm down

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News Network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: The Mangaluru City Police have issued a detailed traffic advisory ahead of the inaugural ceremony of Karavali Utsava, which will be held at the Karavali Utsava Ground on Saturday.

The festival will be inaugurated at 6:00 pm by Dakshina Kannada District Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao. Cultural and public programmes will be held at the venue every evening and will continue until January 2.

According to City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, parking of vehicles is strictly prohibited on both sides of the road from Lalbagh to Karavali Utsava Ground. Visitors are requested to park their vehicles only at designated parking areas.

To help the public, traffic signboards and parking guidance flex boards have been installed along the routes leading to the venue. The police have urged commuters and visitors to follow these instructions to ensure smooth traffic movement.

Designated Parking Locations

•    Urwa Market Ground – Cars
•    Gandhinagar Government School (near Press Club) – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Ladyhill Church parking area – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Canara School Ground, Mannagudda – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Thimmappa Hotel premises – Two-wheelers and cars
•    Scout and Guide Bhavana premises (behind Karavali Utsava Grounds) – Two-wheelers
•    Urwa Market Road – Two-wheelers
•    Hat Hill Road – Two-wheelers

The police have appealed to the public to cooperate by following traffic rules and parking guidelines to avoid inconvenience during the festival.

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: Public transport in Mangaluru is set for a state-led transformation as the government moves to deploy 100 new electric govt buses to replace unreliable private services. The initiative aims to provide a dependable alternative to private operators who have been frequently "cutting trips," leaving thousands of commuters stranded.

The announcement was made by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV during a public phone-in session. The move specifically targets routes where private bus service has become erratic, ensuring that citizens no longer have to rely on a fluctuating private sector for their daily commute.

Restoring the Govt Presence

The transport crisis was brought to the forefront by Ramayya, a resident of Bajal, who highlighted a growing trend of private buses skipping morning and night trips. With the previous KSRTC (govt) services discontinued, residents have been left without a fallback option.

To fix this, the DC confirmed that the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme will bring 100 government-owned electric buses to the city:

•    Phased Deployment: The first 50 of the new 100 government buses are scheduled to arrive by March 2026.

•    State Infrastructure: Two new government depots, including one at Mudipu, are being prepared for operations.

•    Recruitment: The state has already begun training a new batch of government bus drivers to ensure the fleet is operational the moment it arrives.

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News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Air India Express has announced that it will resume direct flight services between Mangaluru and Muscat from March 2026, restoring an important international air link for passengers from the coastal region.

Airport authorities said the service will operate twice a week—on Sundays and Tuesdays—from March 1. The initial flights are scheduled on March 3, 8 and 10, followed by March 15 and 17, with the same operating pattern to continue thereafter. The flight duration is approximately three hours and 25 minutes.

The Mangaluru–Muscat route was earlier operated under the 2025 summer schedule, with services beginning on July 14. At that time, Air India Express had operated four flights a week before suspending the service.

Officials said the summer schedule will come into effect from March 29, after which changes in flight timings and departure schedules from Mangaluru are expected. Passengers have been advised to check the latest schedules while planning their travel.

The resumption of direct flights to Muscat is expected to significantly benefit expatriates, business travellers and others, further strengthening Mangaluru’s air connectivity with the Gulf region.

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