ASIA/INDIA - A film on Jesus was projected: Pastor beaten and wounded by Hindu radicals

Raipur (Agenzia Fides) - His "fault" was to have organized the screening of a film about Jesus with the faithful of his community: this is why the Protestant Pastor Rajendra Masih, 35, who works in Rajnandgaon district in the state of Chhattisgarh (central India) was beaten and injured by a group of radical Hindu extremist organization "Bajrang Dal", accusing him of "fraudulent conversion". The incident, which occurred on January 31 and reported to Fides, shows how "religious intolerance toward Christians is alarming", the Ong "Global Council of Indian Christians" told Fides.
The Pastor had chosen to show the film in Hindi language. At the end of the projection, suddenly, 9 Hindu militants stormed into the room, destroying all the equipment, such as the screen, DVD player and speakers. They then grabbed Pastor Rajendra and started beating him severely, causing lacerations and bruises on his face and seriously injuring his left eye. The attack, with shouts and insults, lasted for over an hour, while the faithful present, including several children, were terrified. The activists then called the police, accusing the pastor of fraudulent conversions of Hindus to Christianity. Police took the Pastor to carry out further investigations. The pastor gave his version of events (he had only organized the screening of a film) and the agents, not experiencing any crime, released him. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 03/02/2012)