A Hindu extremist mob in northern India last month assaulted two Christian couples and a lawyer for several hours, officials said, accusing them of forced conversion.
In the village of Titli in Harayana state, eight miles from the city of Rohtak, a video recorded by Hindu extremists quickly went viral showing a mob forcing a Christian pastor to set a pile of Bibles on fire, resulting in 32 complaints being lodged with the police.
According to sources, Pastor Jehovah Das, 65, and Pastor Vinod Masihi, 42, along with their wives, were invited to a Christian home in the village on November 7 to pray and celebrate the birth of their second child.
About 10 to 12 members of the Arya Samaj (Noble Society), a Hindu reform movement, learned of the Christians’ visit. They called some colleagues and gathered a mob of about 50 people to break into the house.
“They started slapping us, punching us, elbowing us, kicking us with our feet and took us hostage,” Masi told Morning Star News, adding that they beat the Christians from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Hindu extremists, numbering 80 at the time, searched the car, removed all Bibles and booklets, and threw them on the ground in a heap. They filmed a video showing two confused and shocked couples, forcing them to repeat that they were going to “convert” in the village and that they would never return there.
Masi said the rioters kicked Bibles and spoke disrespectfully about Christ.
Pastor Das was forced to write a letter of apology, which the video shows in his hand. One of the rioters then snatched a bottle of flammable liquid from the hands of a boy who was standing with the mob and forced the three Christians to sprinkle it on Bibles and literature. After forcing Pastor Das to set the Bible on fire, the mob shouted praises to the Hindu god Rama.
The mob dragged the Christians into their cars and locked them inside.
“We were locked in the car for two hours, during which time we were not allowed food, water or to relieve ourselves,” Masih said.
While being held hostage, Masi’s wife Reena sought help from lawyer Satish Arya. Arya used to belong to the Arya Samaj sect and has been an active Christian for five years. He quickly drove 10 kilometers (6 miles) to the village of Titli.
“On my way to the village, I called the police helpline and informed them of the hostage situation, requesting that all interrogations of Christians be conducted at police stations and not letting the mob take the law into their hands,” Alia told Morning Star News. “The police assured me they would arrive soon.”
When Arya reached the village, she saw Christians gathered in one place and about 20-25 Hindu women assaulting two Christian women.
“They were slapping Christian women, pulling their hair and hitting them. It was horrible,” Aria said. “Hindu men were assaulting Christian men as well.”
Alia was standing a short distance away waiting for the police, but they never arrived. The rioters called the police, and responding officers arrived quickly, police said.
One of the Hindu extremists noticed Arya and the words “Jai Mashi Ki” (Praise the Lord) written on the back window of his car, and about a dozen people approached him and asked about his background. They soon learned that he was a Christian.
Alia identified herself as a lawyer and insisted that the Christians be taken to a police station and questioned by police rather than by rioters.
“I opposed their act of holding Christians hostage for four hours and questioned their inhumane actions,” Alia said.
Wearing a black robe, he was dragged to the scene where other Christians were being beaten and assaulted.
“They tore my black gown, shirt and underwear,” he said. “They ripped off my upper body and continued to beat me for 25 minutes, all in the presence of police.”
The mob offered to load all five Christians into a car and set it on fire, but Aria told them the law would not allow them to commit such a horrific act.
A man from among the Hindu mob manages to free Arya, and the lawyer leaves and calls his wife, asking her to bring him new clothes.
Officials said police who had responded to Alia’s initial helpline call eventually arrived, detained the Christians and took them to a police station. After Alia went to the doctor and received first aid, she went to the police station.
“By the time I arrived at the police station, the Christians were pressured to submit a written statement saying they did not want to press charges against the rioters and promised not to enter the village in the future,” he said.
Arya wanted to take legal action, but when she met her host family in Titli village, she learned that Hindu residents had threatened to evict her from the area if she sided with the Christians.
“This family was under pressure from Hindu extremists even though they had been practicing the faith for nearly 18 years,” Masi told Morning Star News.
The next day, about 80 ministers from Haryana met Arya and filed a police complaint against her attackers. They also submitted a written complaint to the police chief on November 10, demanding strict action against the perpetrators. Although the government promised full cooperation and necessary action in this matter, no arrests or action were taken.
Aria released a statement to local media, revealing that she had taken hostages and assaulted her. Police summoned the Christians to the police station on November 23 to pressure them into making peace with their assailants, preempting any arrests.
“The police had a duty to act and convened the village council and the perpetrators,” Arya said. “The village chief apologized in writing for their actions, kissed the Bible and placed it over their heads.”
Christians have filed 32 complaints at various police stations for hurting religious sentiments after a video of them burning a Bible went viral.
Both husband and wife suffered severe trauma. Pastor Das left the district with his children to live in Bangalore, Karnataka (officially known as Bangalore).
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in May 2014, religious rights advocates say the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s hostile attitude toward non-Hindus has fueled attacks on Christians by Hindu extremists across the country.
India was ranked 11th on Christian advocacy group Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List as the country in which it is most difficult to become a Christian, up from 31st in 2013, before the Modi government took office.
