ASIA/INDIA - Pastor stripped naked, beaten and humiliated by Hindu radicals

Bangalore (Agenzia Fides) – Hindu extremists beat him, stripped him naked, humiliated and ridiculed him in public for hours, tying him to a pole: the Protestant Pastor Chandrakanth Kalappa Chavan (27 years old), who belongs to the evangelical community, "New Life Fellowship", was the victim of unspeakable violence by a mob of Hindu extremists in Haliyal, a town in Uttara Kannada district in the Indian state of Karnataka (South India). In addition, the Pastor was arrested by police and is in jail on charges which are unknown.
The incident, which occurred last January 24 and reported by local sources to Fides, came after a prayer meeting at the residence of a Christian woman. The meeting was interrupted by a group of about 20 activists of the radical Hindu movement "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh" (RSS, "National Volunteer Corps"), who broke into the house and insulted those present. The militants then began to hit Pastor Chandrakanth. They took him, stripped him naked and took him naked in procession around the village, tying him to a tree and making a mockery of him for hours, until the evening. Then they called the police who arrested the Pastor and another believer. The NGO "Global Council of Indian Christians" sent a lawyer to know the charges against the two and to set them free. "The Pastor was mistreated just like the crowd did with Jesus ", notes a local source of Fides, condemning the violence against Christians.
According to a recent Report by the NGO "Catholic Secular Forum" the persecution of Christians in India are increasing. In 2011 there were over 2,000 cases and Karnataka tops the list with more than 1,000 attacks on Christians in 2011, an average of 3-5 attacks per day. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 27/01/2012)