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 15,2025

Udupi, Dec 15: What was meant to be a post-pilgrimage gathering turned tragic in Padukere village of Brahmavar taluk, Udupi district, late Sunday night, when a clash among youths escalated into a fatal assault, leaving one man dead.

The victim has been identified as 30-year-old Santosh Mogaveera, a resident of Padukere.

According to preliminary information, the incident took place during a late-night drinking party involving a group of local youths who had recently returned after completing their pilgrimage to the Sabarimala shrine. An argument reportedly broke out among the group and soon escalated into a violent confrontation.

During the ensuing brawl, Santosh Mogaveera was allegedly assaulted and collapsed at the spot after sustaining serious injuries. He was rushed by local residents to a private hospital in Brahmavar, where doctors declared him dead.

On receiving information, senior police officials, including Brahmavar Circle Inspector Gopikrishna, Kota Police Sub-Inspector Praveen Kumar T, Station ASI Manthesh Jabagoudar, and head constables Pradeep and Ashok, visited the spot and conducted an inspection.

Police have taken four youths into custody in connection with the incident. A case has been registered at the Kota police station, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the death.

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News Network
December 7,2025

SHRIMP.jpg

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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