Two major Christian advocacy groups have condemned the opprobrious attack on three pastors and a pregnant wife by Hindutva extremists in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. The Global Council of Indian Christians and the All India Christian Council deplored the Oct. 18 attack on New Jerusalem Church by a group of Hindutva extremists who beat Pastors Philip, Timothy and Siluvai Kumar, and also abused women and destroyed Christian literature.

The incident at Kukatpally in Hyderabad also witnessed an assault on Pastor Phillip’s wife, Kezia, who is pregnant and is full term, and their daughter Hepziba
who is only 18 months old, as reported by the GCIC. They “dragged Pastor Timothy to the Kukatpally Police Station where they lodged a false complaint against the pastor alleging that he urinated on the idols of a nearby temple,” informed the Bangalore-based group.

GCIC suspects it to be Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists who earlier had warned the pastors against having any prayer meetings in the area. The RSS men even “threatened the pastors saying if they conducted any worship services there would be a repeat of Kandhamal in Kukatpally.”

Pastor Phillip who has sustained internal injuries especially near the cheek has been serving in the slums for the past four and a half years. Pastors Phillip and Timothy’s families have migrated from Gudiwada, Machulipatinam, Krishna Dist, A.P. They are from a Dalit background.

The All India Christian Council, meanwhile, has sought a fair probe into the incident. The Council also demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.The latest attack follows two separate incidents in September when a pastor of Samudram village in Warangal district was stopped from conducting prayer services, and on Sept. 20, Pastor Vanamala Parishuddam of Nalagonda district, received nine stitches on his head after attacked by radicals.