Arrest warrant against two pastors in Karnataka

Arrest warrants have been issued against two pastors and seven believers in Davanagere district of Karnataka state, just days after their church was confiscated by the police.

On allegations that the Indian Apostolic Church in Chennagiri village was constructed illegally without a license, police and chief of the village on July 7 issued arrest warrants and also an order that cancels the legal license of the tribal church.

According to Rev Noel Kotian, an EFI correspondent, the church was closed down and arrest warrants were issued despite the church pastors proving the license and other legal sanctions.

"The police disrupted the worship service and closed the church. The same day, the pastors and other members of the church went to Channagiri police station informing the officers that they had obtained the license from the village head," Kotian reported.

Giving no heed, the "police officials filed a case against the Christians for rioting, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, and punishment for intimidation with every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offense committed in prosecution of common object respectively," he added.

Although the pastors - Prashanth and Pius - have been released, the case is in progress in the court.

The church was opened on May 29, 2009 after it obtained a license from the Ajjihalli Gram Panchayat. It had over 75 believers gathered to worship.

Meanwhile, in another incident, Hindu extremists allegedly from the Bajrang Dal damaged a Christian house and threatened to kill the owner on July 7 in Dhindoi, Madhya Pradesh.

Christian Legal Association general secretary, Tehmina Arora reported that a mob of Hindu extremists accused a Christian identified as Rakesh Kumar of building a church and damaged his house construction.

The extremists went to the site, damaged the construction and verbally abused the Christian for his faith, Arora reported.