Udupi ( Karnataka), 26th December 2010
Sampath Kamath, a believer, has been quietly conducting prayer services in his house at Manipal near Udupi, on Friday and Sunday evenings during the last two and a half years. But during the last one week he has been under attack from the Bajrang Dal activists, who want him to stop his prayer services in his house. They have also lodged a false complaint against him with the Manipal police that Sampath Kamath is involved in anti-national activities and that he is trying to convert Hindus to Christianity.

Ratna, a Bajrang Dal activist and a local muscleman, has been setting up the local villagers of Saralibettu village against Sampath Kamath by forcing them to lodge false complaints to the police that the prayer services have been greatly disturbing the neighbours. We also understand that Ratna himself has also lodged a false complaint against Sampath Kamath alleging that SampathKamath has attempted to attack him and that he had also brought more than half a dozen people in an Ambassador Car one night and that luckily he escaped the attack since he was not at home on that particular night. Ratna, we understand, has been using the local policemen to harass Sampath Kameth during the last few days.

Finally, Sampath Kamath visited the Manipal Police Station on the Christmas Eve, 24th December, along with Mr. Prashanth Jathanna, President of Bharateeya Christara Occoota, their lawyer, Mr. Asadulla and a few other believers, and met the concerned Sub Inspector, Mr. Kulkarni. We understand that as they were trying to give the proper version of the whole story, one of the constables butted in and threatened them saying that if they did not stop their prayer non-sense, he himself would come and hammer their life out of them. Sub Inspector Kulkarni who was more considerate, we understand, advised them to find some other common place for their prayer services so that there can be peace in his neighbourhood. Accordingly, they gave an undertaking in writing that they would not conduct any common prayer services in their house in future.

Mr. Sampath Kamath (35), is married to Mrs.Soujanya Kamath (34), and they have a five year old daughter, Soubhagya Kamath. Mr.Sampath Kamath originally belonged to the Gowda Saraswath Brahmin Community, popularly known as the GSB’s in the coastal belt of Karnataka. We learn that his whole family went through a terrible period of harrowing experiences of tragedies after tragedies, after which they accepted Jesus and found peace and happiness in their lives. Mr. Sampath Kamath, quite rebellious in his life style, was the last to accept Jesus, which he did in 2004, after which there was no looking back. He is a completely changed man, away from his earlier rebellious way of life. Please pray for Mr Sampath Kamath.