Christian pastor beaten in India
A Protestant pastor was beaten near Bangalore by Hindu extremists. A former Hindu nationalist himself, Laxmi Narayan Gowda was severely wounded and burnt by his assailants.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
By Asia News

A mob of young Hindu extremists beat the pastor and tried to set him on fire before parading him naked in the suburbs of Bangalore, capital of Karnataka state. The Compass Direct News agency reports that Laxmi Narayan Gowda, an independent pastor and representative of the Global Council of Indian Christians, is now in hospital: he is badly wounded and has serious burns.

The incident took place at about 7 p.m. June 7th in Hessarghatta, about 30 kilometres from Bangalore. A group of about 50 people barged into the pastor's house and threatened him with violence unless he moved out of the area.

The group returned with 100 more people shortly after, cornered Pastor Gowda in a room in his house, and began assaulting him in front of his wife and two small children. Eye witnesses say that the mob was led by Extremists of the Bajrang Dal, youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP or World Hindu Council). the rest