Manki Village, Honnavar (Karnataka) - 8-9-11: Bhasker Naik (20), and Hemanth Naik (22), have been working in a private establishment in Udupi Town during the last year or so. They originally hail from a village called Manki, about 15 Kms from Honnavar in the adjoining District of North Kanara in Karnataka. About six months ago, they came in contact with Pastor Sadananda who is in-charge of the Hirebettu Christ Fellowship Church in Manipal near Udupi, and learnt about the liberating message of Christ, and became Christians

Yesterday, on 7-9-11, they went back home on leave for a few days. When the people in their village saw a change in their way of life, they wanted to know the reason.
When they began speaking about their new found religious experience to their relatives and friends in Manki village, some anti-Christian elements in the village also heard about it.
They immediately alerted the Bajrand Dal workers in the village who came down upon these two innocent believers very heavily and beat them up mercilessly. They also threatened and pressurized them to revert back to Hinduism. When they refused to give up their faith in Christ, they were dragged by the Bajrang Dal workers to the Honnavar Police Station falsely alleging them as forcibly converting Hindus to Christianity. The Police Inspector, Venkatappa, and Sub Inspector, Revathi, conducted a perfunctory inquiry and filed the FIRs against them, under Sections 295 A, 427 and IPC- 34, and produced them before the Honnavar Magistrate, who has sent them to the Honnavar Sub Jail.
The Global Council of Indian Christians(GCIC), which is carefully following and monitoring the developments, has appointed Mr. Subramanya, the senior lawyer at Honnavar, to represent the victims. The lawyer has already filed a bail application seeking the release of the two imprisoned innocent Christians from the Honnavar Sub Jail. Please pray for them